


For the Heart Whose Woes are Legion

by HawkyBarton



Series: The many AUs of Clint Francis Barton [3]
Category: Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Avengers complaint, Clint Needs a Hug, F/F, F/M, Fluffy and angsty, Kid Fic, M/M, Mind Control, Rimming, Superfamily, Superhusbands, Superparents, Tony Needs a Hug, When dat writing muse changes the plot of your story, age gap, everyone needs a fucking hug, fuck clint's family, kid!Clint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-03
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-02-19 16:58:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 94,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2395931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HawkyBarton/pseuds/HawkyBarton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark never wanted kids. Tony Stark thought he would be terrible with kids. </p><p>Steve Rogers wanted kids, but loved Tony enough to let it go.</p><p>Tony sometimes felt guilty for that and wanted to possibly work on his 'daddy issues'.</p><p>Then some little shit tried to steal his wallet and his life got turned upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another installment to my "many AUs of Clint Francis Barton" series, hoped you enjoyed my other two, and if you havent *subtly shoves them towards your screen*
> 
> Title taken from the poem "Dreamland" written by Edgar Allan Poe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint: Aged 13  
> Life Event: Tony Stark

Tony was just exiting the Stark Industries HQ (he had been forced to attend one of the stupid Board of Directors meetings by Pep) when he felt something touch his back pocket. Having received some cool ninja training from Natasha and Bucky ( _Scary Russians_ ), Tony quickly turned around and grabbed for the hand that he was reaching for his wallet. Usually, Tony would have just let the wallet go, he had plenty of more money than in his wallet, and he could cancel his cards quicker than anybody, but Steve had given him that wallet for his birthday so _dammit it was his favorite._ Grabbing the wallet out of the struggling hand, Tony got a good look at the person that was trying to rob him. Well, more kid really. It was a young boy, probably about 10 or 11 by Tony's standards (which wasn't saying anything because he doesn't _do_ kids).

"I'll be taking my wallet back you little brat"

 

The kid whimpered and tried to pull away from Tony, "Please, _please_ let me go sir, I promise I won't steal your wallet again! Just don't hurt me.... please..."

Tony froze and loosened his hold on the kid's wrist, "Woah kid. Not gonna hurt you. Take you back to your parents maybe, but I'm not gonna hurt you"

The kid tipped his head to the ground and rubbed at his arm, "Don't have no parents..."

 

.... _Shit._ Did Tony know that feeling. "Well... Who are you living with? Uncle, Aunt, grandparents, orphanage? I have to take you back to where you ca-"

The kid got this wide-eyed look in his eyes before he pulled as hard as he could away from Tony, "No! I won't go back!!!", and then proceeded to run off.

 

Tony _should_ have just let him be, the kid didn't steal his wallet so he wasn't Tony's problem any more. But _apparently,_ Steve's good-two-shoes personality was rubbing off on him, so now Tony was chasing after the kid. _What is my fucking life?_

 

 


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 13  
> Life Event: Adoption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this chapter! I'm going to try and shoot for a chapter a week (I will most likely fail) but I promise you that the fic will be done by November (hopefully sooner). Thank you for reading!

Tony stared at the kid sitting across the way from him. The kid looked antsy, like he couldn’t get the hell away from Tony (hint: not gonna happen). The kid, at closer inspection, looked to be about 12 or 13, maybe older or maybe younger (Tony didn’t do children, so how was he supposed to guess an age range?) The kid though, he was stick- thin and had dirty (really dirty) blond hair. The two had been at Tony’s (read: the Avenger Tower’s) kitchen table for over an hour just staring at each other, and the kid had yet to speak.

“….. I’m not gonna turn you in punk… Just to let you know” Tony finally spoke, extremely uncomfortable in the silence.

The kid looked up at Tony, blinked his eyes a couple of times and then shrugged. _Goddamit._

“…. You gonna tell me your name anytime soon?” Tony tried again.

Again the kid shrugged. _God. Damn. It._

“…. You even going to grunt for me? Silence kinda kills me, I’m more of a noise kinda guy”

The kid looked at Tony like he was an idiot before shrugging a third time.  


“GODDAMIT”

The kid startled so bad at Tony’s shout that he burst out of his chair and ran out of the room.

Tony groaned, “Well fuck me sideways…..”

 

*****

 

It had been five hours and Tony had yet to find the little brat, the kid disappeared off the face of the planet, and of course JARVS was being a jerk and not helping Tony, _of course his AI was sentient, ‘I am not sir’ my ass._

It got to the point that Tony was about to call in the troupes (read: Stevie), when he heard a rattling above his head. Looking upwards, Tony frowned as the ventilation shaft above his head shook. Tony watched for a little bit until he heard a sneeze come from the vent, and then realized that the brat had gotten into the ceiling vent.

Tony whispered, “JARVIS, block off the vent exits please except for the south side one”

_“Yes sir”_

Tony smirked and headed over to the vent and jumped up on a chair, opening the vent shaft as he did it. The little brat had apparently figured out that all other exits had been sealed off and was currently heading for the exit that Tony was standing at, he also apparently he didn’t have the wherewithal to pay attention to the fact that Tony was standing there, and was grabbed under the armpits and dragged out of the vent before the kid could say _boo._

The kid kicked and screamed as Tony dragged him down from the vent and into the living room, making it sort of difficult (read: extremely difficult) to not drop the brat on his head.

Tony sat the kid down on the couch and crouched in front of him, “Look kid… Come on now, look at me”

The kid looked at Tony, but his eyes kept shifting away every couple of seconds. _Man, whoever hurt this kids deserves everything that the judicial system could possibly throw at a criminal._

“Ah, there we go. Blue eyes too! Okay, listen to me kid. I’m not gonna hurt you, and I’m not gonna take you back to wherever you used to be. However, I will probably have to take you back to CPS because you’re not my kid and you might be seen as missing. Which, if I’m seen with you – that won’t mean good things for me, you got that?”

The kid looked at Tony before shrugging again. Tony sighed and stood up, “I’m gonna go get something to eat…. You hungry kid?”

The kid shook his head and curled into a ball on the couch, turning his head (but not his body) away from Tony. Tony watched the kid for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and heading into the kitchen to make himself a coffee and a sandwich.

Tony then headed back to the living room and sat down on the coffee table across from the kid and began to eat his food.

It only took his a couple of bites before he realized that the brat had lied and was probably starving half to death. Tony could tell by the way the kid kept looking at his food, licking his lips, and turning away almost immediately (great hider, not so good of a deceiver).

Tony got up, feeling the kid’s eyes follow him as he left, and headed into the kitchen where he made another sandwich and poured a glass of milk. Tony set it down in front of the kid when he walked back in and nodded to it, “Eat kid. I know you’re hungry”

The kid looked at Tony like he had grown another head, but after several minutes of Tony’s urging (Read: pestering) the kid finally picked up and ate the food (read: inhaled quickly enough that Tony thought he was gonna choke).

 

*****

 

It took another two sandwiches and another glass of milk for the kid to finally not be hungry (and boy was Tony ready to kill whoever did this to the kid), and by the look in the kid’s eyes Tony believed he would finally be able to get the kid talking.

Of course that’s when the whole troupe comes gallivanting in as _loud as they possibly can._ And by whole troupe, Tony means the _whole_ troupe (Avengers and SHIELD agents all together). The kid immediately spooked and would have headed right back into the vents if Bucky hadn’t grabbed him by the back of the shirt and lifted him a foot or two off the ground. The kid thrashed about, but apparently not knowing his audience, was unaware that Bucky wouldn’t be letting him go soon.

“Barnes!” Tony called out, “Drop the kid, he’s with me – you guys just startled him”

Bucky rolled his eyes and let go of the brat, “Jeez Stark, if I had known one of your love-kids was traipsing round the tower I would have been less on attack.”

While Barnes spoke, the kid scrambling away from the towering giant that is Bucky Barnes and hid behind the chair that Tony was sitting in.

Sighing, Tony refrained from looking behind the chair “He’s not my kid Barnes, he tried to pick my pocket earlier so I brought him back here. He’s cool though”

“I’m sure Mr. Stark, that if this boy had really tried to steal your wallet you would have turned him over to his parents or the police” And there he was, Agent Phil Coulson, the youngest stick in the mud Tony Stark had ever met (and Tony had first met Pepper when she was 28).

Agent Agent must have reminded the kid of some CPS worker (or maybe it was the threat of police action) but all the sudden the kid made a moaning noise and tried to run once again from his poorly veiled hiding spot, this time to be caught by Stevie – poo.

“Woah there son, don’t want to hurt yourself with how fast you’re going”

Apparently the kid knew who Steve Rogers was (and didn’t that rankle Tony that the brat hadn’t heard of him) because he relaxed in Steve’s arms and began to babble incoherently at a lightning fast pace, clutching to Steve desperately.

“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down, I’m sure we can work out this whole mess, come on now. Relax”

Steve gently detached the kid from his arms and walked him over to the couch where he had previously been perched. “Alright, why don’t you sit down and tell me what’s wrong.”

 

*****

 

Clint Barton had been born into a shitty family, and for 13 (almost 14) had lived a shitty ass life. His pop had beaten him and his brother for 8 years before driving his ma and himself into a fucking tree. Then, he and Barney had been sent to a shitty family home, and then he and Barney had run away to the circus. That had been a little better, he got to learn how to shoot a bow and fight with knives, and all the ladies in the circus taught him how to read and write and cook, and Jacques had taught him languages, but of course that had to fail miserably. Buck and Jacques and Barney had been so secretive lately, and it had really bothered Clint because he had felt like something was wrong.

The four of them had been like a little family inside of the circus: Buck had taught the two younger boys the bow and how to fight, Jacques had taught them swords and knives and how to speak different languages. The four of them had stuck together, even when Clint had made top billing as ‘Hawkeye: World’s Greatest Marksman’. Of course Clint had known that Barney was jealous and had retaliated by doing some not so good things with Buck and Jacques in the tows that Carson’s had toured through, but Clint had never suspected what had actually happened.

The three had been stealing from Carson’s, and had almost killed Clint when he had found out. Luckily, Clint had been able to get away and had traveled as far as he could with what little cash he had saved up from the circus, eventually landing himself in New York.

Of course when Clint had seen Mr. Big Shot walking out of the huge building he had tried to pick his pocket, the rich people never knew when their wallets went missing, and it’s not like they would care about it if they did! So, of course Clint hadn’t expected for Mr. Big Shot to catch him.

Clint also hadn’t predicted that Mr. Big Shot would try and send him back to the orphanage, or take him home with him. Clint hadn’t even stolen his wallet! The guy could’ve just left him alone.

But now…. Now he was surrounded by too many people that he didn’t know, all looking extremely aggressive… Well, and then there’s _Captain America._

His favorite super hero! The guy that fought bullies and did nice things like save puppies and he knew what being alone felt like, so Clint was trying to cling to that and he hoped that Captain America could save him.

So Clint babbled out the stuff that he knew Captain America would approve of, and some stuff that he also knew Captain America would sympathize with and help him.

Clint during his babbles had subconsciously curled his body back into the position it had been in when he had been sitting with Mr. Big Shot and cast his eyes around the room every few seconds, watching for danger.

“Онхорошийобманщик, я дам ему, что” The woman with the red hair whispered the scary tall man with the brown hair.

Clint, of course, understanding the lady, got angry “I am _not_!”

The woman raised an eyebrow, “I’m sorry… What was that?”

Clint stood up “Янехорошийобманщик!”

Captain America stood up next to Clint and put a hand on his shoulder, “You understand Russian?”

Clint sniffed and wiped his arm across his nose, “Understand a lot of things…. But I ain’t no deceiver!”

The big scary man that had been standing with the red hair snorted, “Sure kid…. And yet, we still don’t know your name”

Captain America sighed, “Bucky… Be nice”

Clint felt his eyes go wide, “Bucky? Like…. Bucky Barnes?”

Bucky sighed and rolled his eyes, “Yeah kid…. Bucky Bar-”

Bucky didn’t get to finish his sentence before he had a tiny blond boy attached to his leg apologizing for almost kicking him in the balls.

“Awwww, he likes you Barnes!” Mr. Big Shoot cooed at Bucky Barnes. Clint looked up at Bucky Barnes and watched his hand slowly go up to probably give Mr. Big Shot the bird if the red headed lady hadn’t smacked his hand down.

The silent man with the curly hair, who had been silent this entire time, finally snapped his fingers together, “I know who he is” Walking towards Bucky, the man crouched down and smiled and Clint “You’re Hawkeye, aren’t you?”

“Who the hell is Hawkeye?” Bucky asked to the man as Clint nodded quickly.

The man just smiled and detangled Clint from Bucky and stood him up, “An archer from Carson’s traveling circus. Hawkeye: World’s Greatest Marksman. Before the whole Hulk thing, I had taken my niece to go see one of the shows, you were really great kid….. Though, you were working with someone else then”

Clint had felt happy when the man had mentioned how good he was, but now he was looking down at the ground and trying not to cry. That had been when he and Buck had done their act together.

“Oh…. That didn’t work out too well then, I’m guessing?” The man spoke again.

Clint shook his head because, no, it hadn’t worked out. It hadn’t worked out and now he was all alone. Clint froze when Captain America kneeled in front of him next to the other man, “Will you tell us what happened…. Hawkeye? I’m sure there’s more story than you being all by yourself…”

Clint shrugged his shoulders and wrapped his arms around his body, “Not much ta tell…”

Captain America smiled, “Well…. Maybe if you started at the beginning?”

 

*****

 

It had been a long couple of hours, for everyone that had listened to the kid’s… to Clint’s story; now the adults were sitting around the kitchen table while Clint slept in the guest room.

“….. I think we should keep him” Tony spoke first.

“Stark come on, none of us have the skills to raise a kid…. None of us have the _time_ to raise a kid” Barnes huffed out, “Besides. I don’t think that kid trusts any of us to stay….”

“And what would we do otherwise Barnes? Put him back in the system? That worked so well the first goddamn time…..”

“Tony be fair… Do you seriously think we could take care of a child?”

Tony looked at Steve, “Yes actually. Yes I do. You and Bruce were already getting along with him great, and he practically was worshipping the ground the Barnes was walking on….. I…… I just don’t want the kid. Clint. I don’t want _Clint_ to go back to that shitty place, he’s already gone through so much shit Steve….”

Standing, Phil walked over to the bar and poured another shot of bourbon, “I want you all to look me dead in the face and say that you would rather him go back to a shitty life than stay here…. I dare you. I dare you _all_ to say that”

“Goddamit Stark, you know none of us can say that…. But that doesn’t mean we can be parents for a 13 year old boy. Hell, I don’t even think any of us would be good parents for a _plant”_

“Natasha is right Stark. None of us are equipped with the right equipment to care for a teenager, not to mention the safety and regulation issues”

Tony pointed his glass at Coulson, “Don’t you pull that bullshit with me Agent Agent. You were just as smitten with your fan boy buddy as we all were, don’t even try to deny it…”

Coulson rolled his eyes, “Just because I found the child’s passion for Captain America endearing, it doesn’t mean I think you should sign up for daddy of the year Stark!”

Tony rolled his eyes, exasperated, “Come on you guys! So what, we all had shitty childhoods. My parents sucked, Steve didn’t know his, Bruce’s dad was a dick, Natasha had fucking Russian shit, Thor’s dad is possibly the shittiest, and Barnes and Coulson had passable childhoods but fuck it! So what?! I’m sure all the bullshit we went through will teach us definitely what _not_ to do, and I’m sure if we screw up sometimes it won’t be so bad….. Why can’t we just try? Try and give this kid a life he won’t get otherwise…… What do you guys say?”

Steve sighed, “Fine Tony… But…. If this doesn’t work out, if Clint gets hurt in the process – he gets sent to a home _immediately._ Got it?”

Tony nodded, “Loud and clear sweet cheeks. Loud and clear”

 

*****

 

Clint couldn’t believe his ears, what he was hearing was almost too good to be true. Clint had been used to only getting sleep in bursts, so he hadn’t been in the bed long when he had felt a mighty urge to explore this huge place he had landed himself in, when he had caught the adults talking in the kitchen. At first Clint had been frightened by the adults drinking alcohol, shitty memories from the past clouding his mind and shaking him at the thought of what would happen if he had been caught. But, that hadn’t happened.

Having formally introduced himself, and being introduced to everyone in turn, Clint couldn’t believe that _Iron Man_ wanted to be his sorta dad. That this people, these _super-heroes_ wanted him to live with them. It was unbelievable! Smiling softly, Clint pressed his fingertips to his lips and slipped away from the kitchen before the adults could suspect that he had been there. Clint was getting a family!

 

*****

 

“Gentleman and Miss Romanova, I don’t mean to intrude but I believe that you would wish to know that Master Hawkeye had listened in to your conversation and is currently en route to his bedroom” JARVIS spoke softly into the room moments after their decision had been made.

Tony cursed softly and set his glass down, “Shit… Can you stop him from lea-?”

“Master Hawkeye seemed quite pleased with the arrangement and there seems to be no need from a stopping of flight from the young Hawkeye” JARVIS interrupted in what would seem like an amused voice, if gentlemen AIs could be amused ( _not sentient my **ass** JARVIS!). _

Tony however, relaxed back into the kitchen counter “Jesus J, you scared the crap out of me….. But thanks for the heads up” Giving a smug look to the group, “Looks like your original argument about Clint not liking it here is invalid”

Natasha, never to be outdone by Stark, simply swished her hair and exited the room “We already said yes Stark, don’t push it….” She was followed by Barnes, and the rest of the gang until only Steve and Tony were left in the kitchen.

Sauntering over, Tony sat in Steve’s lap “So… You really think I can’t do this Steve? Because if you do, I’ll try and find Clint the best home possible”

Steve shook his head, “You look happy, and from what JARVIS said Clint does as well…. I just… I just think raising a kid is gonna be a lot of hard work… But I’m sure we can all do it. I’m doubly sure you can do it too”

Tony smiled and kissed Steve on the cheek “We can do it Stevie. We can do it”

Steve smiled, “Sure. We can do it”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The two Russian phrases are translated to:
> 
> 1) He's a good deceiver, I'll give him that
> 
> 2) I'm not a good deceiver!
> 
> (( If you wish to give me prompts for other fics, or even ideas for this story, drop me a line at: [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 13  
> Life Event: Kate Bishop

 

“Shit, Steve? Have you seen Clint anywhere?” Tony was wandering around the tower, trying to find his bratty son of 6 months, and he couldn’t find him anywhere.

“Nope I haven’t…. Why do you need our son?”

Tony rolled his eyes at Steve, such a cutie with the ‘our son’ stuff. “Well, I’ve been trying to get him to sit still long enough so we could so some home schooling shit, but he keeps disappearing on me….”

Steve sighed, “Maybe if you don’t phrase it _homeschooling shit_ he might be more inclined to-“

“I don’t wanna learn Steve!”

Both men turned their heads up to the vents, _duh Stark why wouldn’t you have looked in his favorite place in the world, the goddamn vents._ “Clint buddy, come down please– you have to learn something otherwise we’re gonna get in trouble for truancy….”

Tony raised an eyebrow at Steve, “Really? _That’s_ the argument you’re going with?”

“Oh like you could do any better Tony”

“Try me Spangles, I’ll-”

“Hey! Teenager who has a fear of arguing parents here. Can you guys…. Like. Not? I’ll freaking learn if you guys just not argue”

Both men winked at each other, before Steve raised his arms for Clint to climb into “Deal Clint”

Clint swung down into Steve’s arms, “But I don’t want to be homeschooled by Tony….”

Tony raised his eyebrows, “Oh? Then who do you want to teach you? If it’s fucking Pym or Reeds I’m going to have to put my foot do-“

“No! Jesus Christ, no. I want to go to public school”

 

*****

 

Clint tightened the straps on his brand new Iron Man backpack and waved to Happy driving away. He was going to middle school! Going to an actual school for the first time since 2nd grade, and yeah he was a little nervous, but he was glad to get back to something… _normal._

Taking a deep breath in, Clint jogged up the steps and headed to the front office for his schedule like Steve had told him to do.

The front desk had a small sign on it asking for everyone to tap the bell to the left of the sign for help, so that’s what Clint did (secretly fearing that he would be bothering someone and said someone would get angry and kick him out of school because of it). An older lady came out of the office and gave Clint the stink eye ( _shit I am so getting kicked out_ )

“What do you want young man?”

Clint gulped, “Uhm… I’m… Clint Barton Rogers Stark?... I’m new and need to pick up my class schedule?” Clint suddenly felt extremely idiotic for having three last names because _somebodies_ couldn’t just let him keep his original last name and _somebodies_ just couldn’t decide who Clint should have the honor of being named after.

The old lady nodded, “Ah yes. The _Stark boy_ I have your class schedule right here” Clint didn’t understand the emphasis on the Stark boy. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

The old lady handed him a sheet of paper that had his schedule on it, “My name is Miss Strange and I’m the secretary for the office, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask…”

Clint nodded and began to read his schedule: 7th grade English Gifted for first period, 7th grade Civics Gifted for 2nd period, 8th grade Algebra Gifted for third period, 7th grade Life Science Gifted for 4th , PE (1st semester) and basketball (2nd semester) sharing 5th period, Band (1st semester) and Chorus (2nd semester) sharing 6th, and finally Spanish for 7th period. “Uhm… Miss Strange?”

Miss Strange looked at Clint, “Yes Mr. Barton Rogers Stark?”

Clint gulped, “Uhm… I’m fluent in Spanish already…..”

Miss Strange looked Clint up and down “I’m _sure_ you are…. But be a good boy and go ahead to that class anyway, hmm?”

Clint didn’t understand what she meant by that sure, but _he_ was sure that she was probably being a bitch. “Alright….” Miss Strange smirked at Clint and turned away, subtly (or maybe not so subtly) dismissing him from her presence.

Nodding to Miss Strange’s back, Clint left for his first class (and tried not to get lost).

 

****

The entire crew was waiting in the living room for Clint to get home from school, anxious in some cases and nonchalant interest in others. JARVIS had said that Clint was in the elevator with Happy and had warned that Clint wasn’t in the best mood.

The elevator doors swung open, and Steve smiled as he began to stand, “Hey kiddo, how was sch-”

Clint brushed past him “It sucked” and slammed the door closed to his room (the same guest room he was given all those months ago).

Bruce hummed, “Well it seems that went well…”

Phil lifted his head up from his Stark tablet “He also seemed to have gotten the American School System down too”

Steve and Tony looked at each other, the question _you wanna take this or shall I?_ Playing between their expressions.

Natasha decided for them. “Phil. You talk to Clint. You’re the only one of us that had anywhere close to his experience”

Phil blinked and looked at her, “Me? I’m not his parent…. I’ve barely even spoken to Clinton.”

Tony, seeing an opportunity to ruffle the feathers of their robotic agent friend, smirked. “You’re the only one that’s been to school like Clint Phil. You would understand….. You gotta talk to him, for the good of the Avengers”

Phil gave Tony an unimpressed look, “It is not in my job description to care for your… children… Stark. What _is_ in my job description, however, is doing paperwork. _Your_ paperwork.”

Natasha smirked, and pulled the Stark tablet right out of Phil’s hands, “I got it Phil. Now go be a good little agent and talk to the brat”

“…. Fine. But only because if I try to take that tablet back you’ll knock me on my ass…”

Natasha smiled, “Good boy. Go on now”

Phil stood up and walked towards Clint’s room, grumbling about lack of respect as he went.

 

*****

Clint raised his head when he heard three sharp knocks on his door. Feeling anger at Steve or Tony or any of them for trying to come talk to him when he _obviously_ didn’t want to talk Clint turned back to his books, “Go away!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that Clinton, I don’t want to killed by the collective team of your fathers and Natasha”

Oh. It was the Agent guy. Coulson…. Or was it Coleman? Coldman? Eh, whatever.

“I still don’t wanna talk to you”

“Then this will be very awkward for both of us since I’m coming in to your room, I do hope you aren’t indisposed.”

“Indi-what?!”

“….. I hope you’re wearing clothes and not engaging in sexual activities”

… Where in the hell did this guy even come from? “… Okay ew. I’m doing, like, neither of those…. And if you aren’t gonna leave, sure come on in. But we ain’t talking”

“Very well, if you insist”

The door opened and the agent walked in, took a look around Clint’s mess of a room (he had yet to let the cleaning bots in) and decided the best place to sit that wasn’t already inhabited by Clint (his desk chair) would be on the edge of his bed.

Clint looked at him for a minute before turning around and going back to his huge workload of stupid fucking homework. The two went on in silence for about twenty minutes before Clint caved and turned around to face him.

“Why did they send _you_?”

The man seemed to take a moment to think about what he was going to say before answering Clint, “Your fathers-”

“Not my fathers. They haven’t even formally adopted me yet”

“Your fathers” the man goes on like Clint hadn’t interrupted, “Plus Natasha believe that I was the best candidate to talk with you do to the fact that I am the only one out of all of them that had a… traditional school experience”

Clint blinked “Uh…. What?”

The man looked at Clint, “Steve and Barnes last went to school in the 1930s, Tony finished college at age 15, Bruce at 17, Natasha never had a formal education, Thor is a god, and everyone else isn’t here either. So, I was the only option for giving you…advice? I guess that’s what they believed I could do”

Clint nodded slowly “Ah…. Okay…. Well… I don’t really need it, but the sentiment was appreciated”

The man hummed, “If that were true, you wouldn’t have slammed into the house like somebody had stolen your lunch money today but you didn’t want anyone to know about it”

Clint blinked at him, “And you would know that because….?”

The man sighed softly, “Because it used to happen to me all the time”

 

*****

Tony and Steve were sitting anxiously (after over an hour of failing to try and look nonchalant) in the living room, waiting for Coulson to come out of Clint’s room. It had been a couple of hours in total since Phil had gone into Clint’s room, and Natasha had come and gone (finished with paper work of course), clearly amused at Tony and Steve’s distress.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Clint’s door opened and Coulson and Clint were walking out of it, talking quite animatedly.

Standing up, Tony and Steve walked closer to the duo.

“No no no no no no the comics in the 60s were terrible! How could you like those?”

“They were my dad’s and he used to read them to me, sure the content is shit – but nostalgia factor is a big plus”

“You, my friend, are a dork”

“That’s Agent Dork to you Clinton”

“My name is Clint, Coleman”

“And you’re a brat. My name is Coulson”

“I’ll call you Coulson if you call me Clint”

“Deal”

Tony blinked as he looked between the two of them; Coulson was smiling, and Clint had a dopey expression on his face. “Uhh…. Is the issue resolved or did you guys just talk shop for four hours?”

Tony watched Clint’s face lose the dopey quality when he turned to look at Tony, “Uh… I mean, school is still gonna suck, but Coulson said that things get better in college, so I guess everything okay?”

Steve smiled, “Well that’s great Clint! Thank you Phil for helping out”

Clint smirked and leaned close to Coulson, “If Steve can call you Phil, can I?”

Coulson rolled his eyes and nudged Clint, “No you can’t brat, Coulson or Agent Dork is all you get”

Clint dramatically sighed, “I get no love in this house”

Coulson laughed and ruffled Clint’s hair, “Technically it’s a tower…”

Clint made a face, “You’re a jerk Coulson”      

Coulson smiled and nodded before turning to Stark and suddenly becoming Agent Agent again, “Stark. Steve. I’ll be heading out now, you both owe me a huge stack of paperwork. Good evening” and with that he was gone, and Clint as well.

Tony grabbed Steve’s hand, “Was it just me or did you see some serious-”

“Yes I did Tony, and I’m going to ignore it and hopefully it will go away”

“Okay, good me too”

 

*****

Clint had been at the school for a month when he finally made his first friend. After having his talk with Coulson ( _Phil, hah take that Coulson)_ he had felt a lot better about dealing with the school system, and though it still sucked, it wasn’t as bad as that first day.

Clint was currently standing in front of the school’s bulletin board (the place where put all the stupid things that the kids could do, but the students never actually looked at) waiting for Tony to pick him up, when he spotted a flyer for the school’s archery club.

Clint really wanted to get back into his archery. The circus may have sucked sometimes, but _damn_ did he miss his bow.

“The club meets every Wednesday from right after school until 6:00pm…. If you’re interested that is”

Clint blinked and turned around to have a black haired stick of a girl smirking at him.

“Uh… I’m sorry?”

The girl rolled her eyes, “The archery club? You know, the flyer you were staring at like it would grow tits…. Or a penis if that’s what you like… and came onto you”

Clint blinked, “Uh…. Who are you?”

The girl smirked and offered a hand, “Bishop Comma Kate. I’m the founder of the archery club, and currently one of three members. The other two are there because like the Hunger Games. I’m there because I have talent. Which are you?”

Clint blinked and shook Kate’s hand, “Uh Clint of the long extended last name. Pure talent. Does that help?”

Kate laughed and nodded, “We’ll see about that talent thing. But yeah, it helps. Wednesday after school, don’t be late Clint of the long extended last name”

Clint grinned, “I won’t be”

 

*****

Tony raised an eyebrow as Clint practically jumped into the car, “Good day at school kid?”

Clint shrugged his shoulders, “Eh, kinda pretty shitty day at school. Awesome day waiting for you though... By the way, I need to be picked up at 6 on Wednesdays now”

Tony blinked, “Woah wait there kiddo. Go back to awesome and work your way to Wednesdays”

Clint sighed, “They kinda are the same thing. I’m in an archery club now! They meet on Wednesdays from right after school until 6pm… unless you don’t want me to do it, which is fine because that might mean more work for you to co-“

“Hey kiddo chill! You can do a club that’s perfectly fine with me, I just wanted to know why we needed to pick you up at 6” Tony cut Clint’s panicked babblings off.

“Wait, really? You’ll let me do the club?”

“Sure kid. You can be in the club, why would I stop you from doing something you wanted to do?”

Tony had to stop the car from swerving into a truck when Clint tackled Tony with a hug and a “Thank you so much Tony!”

Tony grinned, “No problem Clint. Now sit in your seat before Pepper yells at me for being on the news because I let my kid ride around without a seatbelt”

Clint smiled and sat back in his seat. Tony beamed internally and checked off his ‘awesome dad moment’ for the day.

 

*****

Tony and Steve were in bed that night, (read: Steve had forced Tony to sleep for once), Tony was tinkering with one of his hand repulsor jets and Steve was reading some book (Tony thought is was Angels and Demons but he was probably wrong). The two were silent in their work for about an hour until Tony remember what had happened earlier. Tony thought about how to go about telling Steve their lovable brat was going to actually be doing something with his young life after seven months, he finally turned to look at Steve and pushed down the book he was reading “So…”

Steve blinked and turned to look at Tony, his glasses slowly slipping down his nose (Tony had once asked Steve why he needed glasses, and funnily enough was never answered) “What is it Tony?”

“Our son has joined a club at school”

Steve raised his eyebrows and put his book on the bedside table, “Explain”

Tony grinned, story time with Stevie was his favorite time. “Clint has joined an archery club at school. Meets every Wednesday afterschool until 6pm”

Steve smiled, “That’s great! Clint needed something to keep him occupied, and maybe he’ll finally make some friends.”

Tony smirked, “Exactly my thoughts. Now, I think since we’re both in bed we have some important things we could be doing right now”

Sliding over, Tony began to straddle Steve’s waist, “Well I was going to finish that chapter, but if you insist Tony”

“Oh I _insist_ Captain”

 

*****

Clint carried his bow and quiver around with him all day school on Wednesday. He was excited to finally be able to use her after 7 months, and Clint was sure she was aching to be out in the open after all these months of living in his closet.

Of course Clint had gotten weird stares from the other students at dragging the thing around all day, and one or two jackwads insinuating that he should have a braid in his hair and try and find some guy called Peeta (Clint guessed that had something to do with the Hunger Games Kate had mentioned). But Clint truly and honestly didn’t care about what they thought of him, he was going to be doing his most favorite thing today and he was gonna do it with people who _actually_ cared about it!

Clint walked out of the main building and followed the breezeway path down to the gym office building where they held the HOPE classes, and went to room 301, which according to the flyer is where the archery club started all of their meetings (before eventually migrating to the field).

Kate was already there setting up when Clint walked in, and if his eyes were correct (which they were, they were always correct) he could spot a bow and quiver propped up against the desk next to her (the design not all that different to his).

Setting his own bow and quiver down, Clint hopped up onto one of the desks and began to swing his legs back and forth, waiting for Kate to notice him.

When Kate did finally turn around, Clint couldn’t but laugh as she squealed and jumped at least a foot in the air. “Dammit Clint of the long extended last name! You scared the crap out of me!”

Clint laughed again and looked at her, “Sorry Bishop Comma Kate, maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings?”

Kate scowled at him, “Shove it up your ass extended last name”

Clint fell off the desk laughing.

 

~

 

After meeting the two other members of the archery club, the Hunger Games fangirls at Kate had put it, the four of them were walking to the field.

The club apparently had to pull out the targets from the gym artillery closet before every meeting and then put them away afterwards, so Clint, being the strongest, ended up doing the all the work (Kate of course was smirking the entire time. _Karma is a bitch_ )

Setting the targets out in the strategic places 100 feet from each of the four members, Hawk looked at Kate “What exactly do we do? Just shoot for hours, have competitions, teach other skills, what?”

Kate sighed, “Usually it’s me teaching those two” Kate nodded to the girls giggling and messing around with their bows, “how to do archery, which they can’t do. Then they usually leave around 4, and I shoot for two hours. So…. That’s it.”

Clint nodded, “Right. Okay. Sounds like… a plan?”

Kate rolled her eyes, “Yeah I know it’s shit, but I have to have at least 3 people in the club or the school will disband it”

Clint nodded, “Ah. Okay. Well then…..Want to see me shoot first, or do you want to start teaching the wonder twins?”

“Oooooo shooting first, definitely shooting”

Clint smirked, “Totally called that one”

Kate rolled her eyes again and shoved Clint towards the target, “Shut up and shoot Extended last name”

Clint laughed and faced the target, letting his mind and body relax and focus before picking up his bow and an arrow. Clint got his target in sights; he strung the bow, raised it, and then shot the arrow clear into the exact middle of his target. Picking up another arrow, Clint followed the process and split the first arrow in two, and then he split that arrow it two. And then he did it again. After splitting three arrows into two, Hawk lowered his bow and looked at Kat with a ‘well?’ expression.

He wasn’t disappointed. Kate had her jaw dropped and was looking at him with faint shock and awe “Holy. Crap. That was fucking awesome!!!”

Clint blushed and looked down at the ground, “Uhh… thanks…”

Kate did a little jig, “You _have_ to tell me where you learned your stuff! That was amazing!!”

Clint smiled and looked up at her, “Uh… the circus?”

Kate stopped for a moment and stared at him “The circus?”

Clint sighed, the archery club had been fun while it lasted “Yeah the circus…. I’ll go now”

Clint had tried to turn but was stopped by a gloved hand, “Woah! What the heck for?!”

Clint frowned and looked at her, “For being in the circus?” _Okay saying that out loud sounded really stupid Barton._

Kate blinked, “Why the fuck would you leave because you were in the circus?”

Clint shrugged, “The way you said ‘the circus’ earlier kinda made me think you didn’t want me here….Was I wrong?”

Kate shoved him and rolled her eyes, “Of course you’re wrong, you stupid cow! I was just struck dumb because now I remembered why you looked so familiar! You’re Hawkeye!!!”

Oh. “You’ve… seen my act?”

Kate nodded her head quickly, “Hell yes I have! You’re the reason I started up with archery, I wanted to be just like you!!!”

Clint blinked, “Oh…. Well, I guess that means I should stay?”

Kate rolled her eyes and shoved Clint again “Yeah. You should stay”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( If you wish to prompt me for other fics or even give me ideas for this one drop a line at: [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 14  
> Life Event: Lucky the Pizza Dog

Clint’s 14th birthday wasn’t what the Avengers would call a complete success. Since it was a school day, Clint was forced to go to all his classes (read: Steve forced, Tony whined about ‘his boy should have a break for his birthday’, Steve wins, Tony sulks for the rest of the day, and Clint goes to his class). It was afterschool however, that the adventure really begins.

Clint had ended up in all gifted classes his eighth grade year after passing all his classes with flying colors despite the lack of formal education beforehand (Miss Strange and his teachers were surprised but Clint always did like surprising people). Clint’s schedule was actually to his liking this year (unlike last year’s beginning Spanish for a pretty much native speaker): gifted English, gifted Geometry (Tony had wiped a tear away and said that Clint was growing up just like him. Clint had rolled his eyes), gifted American History (He got a happy look from Steve for that one), gifted 8th grade science (Bruce had been excited for that one), theatre and teacher’s assistant sharing a period, PE and tumbling sharing a period, and finally a study hall. It was bloody perfect, and he had most of his classes with Kate (pretty much his only friend besides the Avengers).

Clint had waited to skip school, just for his birthday, but he knew that Steve would never have allowed it. Luckily, Kate had decided to make his day better by throwing random tiny gifts at him all day (it hurt having a box thrown at his face but eh, it was Kate). So far it was last period and he had received: an iTunes gift card, a new shooting glove, his favorite brand of coffee (Steve thinks he was still too young for coffee but Tony always sneaked it to him when Steve’s back was turned), a book that he had been meaning to read since Kate mentioned it over the summer, and finally – a piece of red velvet cake.

The plan for the day had been for Clint to go to school, and for him and Kate to get a ride from Tony or Steve back to the tower for a birthday dinner. Did that happen? Of course not. What really happened was that about halfway through the school day, the Avengers were called out – to Taiwan. To fight robots that looked like something from Pacific Rim, which was both terrifying and really fucking awesome from Clint’s perspective (also shitty due to the lack of people going to be at his birthday dinner, which Clint was used but, it still hurt).

Tony had texted Clint about halfway through his Geometry class (a boring class that Clint was acing without even trying) with an apology text and a promise that Happy would pick Clint and Kate up, and then the entire group would celebrate when they got home. Clint texted back quickly not to bother with sending Happy to pick the duo up, if Clint wasn’t going to get the birthday party he wanted, then he was gonna get some ice cream and pizza with Kate at the plaza a block from the school (an acceptable distance to walk for the overprotective Avengers after they finally realized that Clint would just walk to the plaza that had both the ice cream shop and the pizza restaurant with Kate whether they liked it or not). It of course wasn’t the ideal situation for Clint, but Kate was in heaven (she never admitted it, but she _totally_ had a crush on the guy that worked the register at the ice cream shop).

Kate and Clint unfortunately didn’t have their last period together, so when the final bell rang they had to meet up outside. Once the two met up they headed over to the plaza and commenced their personal Birthday Party. It was sadly anti-climactic to what Clint had thought his birthday was going to be (living with superheroes sometimes sucked a lot). Clint (having access to a credit card with a Tony Stark bank account), and Kate (having access to a credit card with her father [another rich guy that Clint should probably know the name of, but doesn’t]’s bank account) bought at three pizza pies to share between the two of them (athletic teenagers that both had a black hole for a stomach was good for the pizza joint).

Of course Kate and Clint saved a box for the movie night they would be having later, and turned their attention to the ice cream shop. The lovely, heavenly, Clint never knew God was real _until_ he found the ice cream shop, ice cream shop. All of the ice cream was home-made, the entire joint was styled like the old ice cream joints of the early 1900s, and it was fan-fucking-tastic. Kate of course flirted with the guy at the register (which of course made Clint laugh because the guy was at least 25 and totally ignored Kate), and they sat down outside with their individual cones of heaven on earth (Tony says that Clint was exaggerating but Steve made the same noises as Clint did when he ate the ice cream so, Clint thought that Tony just didn’t appreciate the fine taste of fucking _heaven_ ).

“Okie dokie Clinton, what movie do you want to watch? Since it’s your birthday and all….”

Clint smirked and opened his mouth, but Kate held a hand over his mouth, “Except for Disney’s _Robin Hood_ because if you make me watch that again, so help me god I will punch you in the dick”

Clint laughed and nudged Kate, dislodging her hand. “Come on Katie-Kate, you don’t like animals wearing medieval clothing?”

Kate rolled her eyes, “I did until you made me watch it _500 times”_

Clint snorted and finished the last lick of his ice cream, throwing the napkin at the garbage can about 6 feet away (he got it, he always got it in) “Lucky for you Katie-Kate, I wasn’t going to suggest that movie. I’m more in the mood for a horror film…. _Woman in Black_ sound good to you?”

Kate jumped up, “When the hell does Daniel Radcliffe _not_ sound okay to me?!”

Clint rolled his eyes. “You’re a fucking dork”

“But I’m _your_ fucking dork”

“And aren’t you a lucky?”

“Oh yes my dear, ever so lucky”

“… I hate you”

“Love you too Clinton”

 

*****

Clint had gotten hungry on the walk back to the tower ( _Oops, so sorry we didn’t call you Happy – we just wanted to walk)_ and was just beginning to shove a piece of pizza into his mouth (despite Kate’s disgusted face) when he spotted a golden retriever. And oh _my god._ Clint hadn’t been near a dog in years! They were his _favorite_ animal!

Kate elbowed him hard, “Stop staring, you look like an idiot”

Clint glared and took another bite of his pizza before walking over to the guy dressed in a terrible tracksuit (dude the 90s called, they want that outfit back) “Hey, can I pet your dog?”

Kate sighed and crossed her arms over her chest and waited for this to end badly. The man looked at Clint and spoke with a terrible Russian accent “What you say bro?”

Clint hummed, “ _Dog._ Can I pet it one time?”

The man didn’t looked down at the dog, “He _bite_ bro. Not good idea, bro”

Clint raised his eyebrows and looked at the dog sniffing him and brushing up against his leg, (and bro? seriously?) “Who’s a good boy that likes pizza? _You_ are, aren’t you pizza dog?” Looking back at the man, Clint smiled “I dunno man. Dog likes pizza. How bad can he be?”

The man sneered at Clint, “What you want here bro? Feed _dog?_ Go fuck you, bro”

Ignoring the man, Clint smiled and reached down to pet the dog, dropping his pizza. “Aww pizza no” The dog, however, yipped happily and scarfed the piece of pizza down before scooting as close as he could to Clint.

“Aww buddy, guess you were _really_ hungry huh? Guess these guys need to feed you more” Scratching the dog behind the ears, Clint smiled and didn’t realize the danger that was about to happen behind him.

The guy (officially named the tracksuit vampire by Clint) had apparently called his buddies and they were walking toward Clint menacingly. Why didn’t Kate warn Clint? She was kinda busy on her phone waiting for Clint to finally stand back up (and when Kate was on her phone the world _ceased to exist)._

So, neither Clint nor Kate was aware of the fact that big, burly men were about to beat the snot out of Clint. The dog, however, was. Just as the original tracksuit vampire was about to raise his fist with a cry of “Bro!!” (Seriously, what was the big issue of just petting the dog?) the dog snarled and jumped up to attack the guy.

Clint felt his eyes go wide as he stood up and whirled around to watch the dog ripping the guy’s tracksuit to shreds. Frozen for a moment, Clint took in the scene and the other two tracksuit vamps about to attack him (and by extension, Kate). Relying on his previous circus training (something the tracksuit guys probably didn’t realize), Clint swiped the first guy’s legs out from under him, and the upper-cut the second guy in the gut with his right fist. Kate by the time realized what was happening, and with about 6 years of karate under her belt, joined in the melee.

It was kinda a dirty fight, and both sides didn’t look pretty when it was all over. Clint was about to just take Kate and run when he saw the first guy throw the dog into the oncoming traffic.

“NO!”

Clint tried to run after the dog, but it was too late. He was hit by a car and the tracksuit vamps ran away, yelling things like: “Get you next time bro!” and “You just wait and see bro!”

Rushing into the street that was now deserted except for the dog, despite Kate’s yells for him to stop, Clint slid onto his knees next to the dog.

The thing was a pitiful sight, Clint’s heart stopped in his chest and he thought it was all over. “No no no no….I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize this was gonna happen” Reaching his hand out, Clint laid it down on the dog’s head and closed his eyes, bowing his head to possibly stop himself from crying (life was unfair, truly unfair). His eyes popped open a moment later when he felt something wet his hand. Looking down, Clint saw that the dog had licked his hand, and gasped.

Jumping up, Clint picked the dog up slowly (thank god for archery or he would never have been able to lift the heavy dog) “Kate! Use your phone and find the nearest vet’s office! He’s alive!”

Clint kept the now whimpering dog close to his chest and jogged to Kate, “Shhh shhh little guy, everything is gonna be okay”

The dog gave a pitiful whimper and got closer to Clint’s chest.

“Okay, Okay, okay, okay. There’s a vet like…. Three blocks from here, let’s go!”

 

*****

Clint and Kate had burst through the doors of the vet, and before they could breathe the dog was out of their hands and into a surgery room.

Kate was currently sitting in one of the chairs reading a magazine, but Clint was too full of adrenaline to sit still. Luckily, nobody had tried to question the look of the two teenagers (bruised and bloody), and Clint was just praying that the damn dog would be okay.

“Uh… Barton….Clint?”

Clint spun around, now unaccustomed to that last name “Hey sorry…uh... Hey”

Clint looked at the vet, a mouse of a man with glasses and dark hair (kind of like Bruce, except kinda not). The man coughed and pushed the glasses further up his nose “Mr. Baron we need to talk about your dog-”

For some reason, that made Clint exceedingly angry. _His_ dog?! Now way would _he_ have _ever_ treated a dog the way that dog was treated! “He’s not my dog”

The vet blinked and looked like he was thinking _why would a teenager care about some dog that wasn’t his own?_ “Uhm… _The_ dog has lost a lot of blood, he’s in shock, and is a difficult surgical candidate. And what he needs is surgery….at this point to make the decision to euthanize is _not_ inhumane”

Hell no. Oh _hell_ no. How dare this guy?! Seriously, how dare he come in and think such a thing! Clint, filled with a rage that was way past his 14 years, got in the vet’s face “Fuck that! The dog’ll _make it._ Do what you gotta do. Are we clear?” Clint had a finger pressed against the man’s chest, and despite the man being much older, seemed to almost shrink in Clint’s presence.

Kate was watching from her chair, but wisely kept out of it.

“Kid…. You can’t know that. _I_ can’t know that…. **_Nobody_** can know that. I will absolutely operate on the animal. But – you have to ask yourself, are you doing this for him? Or for you?”

Clint felt himself curl inwards, a guilt filling his heart as he turned around to face the window “Fix my damn dog… _The_ dog fix him… Please”

Clint heard the vet begin to turn around, “Sorry I snapped at you” the vet paused and made an ‘apology accepted’ noise and left.

Kate watched the entire scene and then put her magazine down, standing up to look out the window next to Clint. The two just stood there, motionless, for what seemed like an eternity.

Clint was the one that finally broke, “I don’t know what came over me”

Kate huffed quietly and turned her head to look at him, “Probably some childhood trauma and an absolute pathetic love of animals… I hope Stark likes pets”

Clint blinked and looked at her, “Huh?”

Kate rolled her eyes and nudged his shoulder with her’s, “The way I see it, you already love that mutt and are taking the pathetic thing home if it lives. Hope Stark is okay with that…”

Clint blinked, and then laughed in spite of himself “You’re right, I never even thought about the Avengers…. Shit, they’re going to be _so_ mad at us”

Kate sighed, “I used to be a good girl until I met you”

“You love me and you know it”

“You wish”

“Aww Kate, you wound me”

“Now _I_ wish”

“Ohhhh you’re mean”

“And you love me that way”

 

*****

The entire Avengers were having a shitty day. First they had been taken away from Clint’s birthday party to fight goddamn Jaegers clones, then they had to spend what felt like _hours_ debriefing, and when they finally got home, it was to a freaked out Happy!

Tony sighed and looked at the man, “Happy calm down. What’s wrong?”

Happy looked at him, “Clint and Kate never contacted me to come pick them up, and they still aren’t home, and it’s been _7 hours_ since school let out”

Steve frowned and stepped forward, “They might just be out having fun still. Did you try their cell-phones?

Happy nodded, “Both went straight to voicemail”

Tony gulped, a tiny sliver of fear beginning to thread into his heart. Clint may be pretty useless when it comes to phones, but Kate _always_ had that thing in her hand or in a pocket somewhere. If it was turned off, something was _wrong._

Agent agent took a step forward, “Trace their credit card transactions, I’m sure they’ve bought things since they left the school”

Tony closed his eyes and nodded, his voice gruff “Jarv? Can you-”

The AI spoke, “Already done sir. Master Clint within the last two hours has made purchases at the ice cream shop and pizzeria he and Miss Kate frequent, and he has also made a payment at a local veterinary hospital”

Tony paused, _an animal hospital?_ “What the fuck is he doing at an animal hospital?!”

Natasha squared her shoulders, “Why don’t we find out?”

 

*****

Clint had been standing in front of the window for about an hour since the vet left, rounding the total stay of being in this stupid vet hospital to about 5 hours in total.

Kate, amazing Kate, hadn’t left to go home – but was currently sleeping in a chair closest to the wall. Smiling, Clint sighed and rubbed at his hair. _What a birthday, sure beats the other 14 he’s had._

Clint was about to go sit down next to Clint and possibly take his own nap when he heard a commotion outside. Tensing, Clint prepared himself for another tracksuit vampire fight, but was surprised (and dismayed) to see the whole Avengers clan bursting through the doors. _Crap._

Tony and Steve were leading the group, and they looked ready to commit murder. The others behind them weren’t that far off, even poor Bruce looked ready to hulk out at any minute. Now Clint felt _really_ bad because they had all come off of _hours_ of fighting to find that Clint and Kate were missing. _Damn, I’m in **so** much trouble. _

“Clinton Francis Barton Stark Rogers!!”

Clint winced at the use of his whole name, the disappointed expression from Steve, and the fact that Kate jerked awake at the noise.

“Uh… Present?”

Steve growled and put his hands to his hips, giving Clint the full effect of the ‘Steve Rogers is disappointed in you and you are not worthy’ look. “Now is not the time to be sn- What the hell happened to you two?” Steve’s arms dropped and his voice took on a worried lilt, causing the rest of the Avengers group to pause and look at Clint and Kate more directly, taking in the ‘gotten beat up’ look.

Clint rubbed at the back of his neck, “It’s a long story?”

Tony was the one to growl this time, and cuffed the back of Clint’s neck, forcing him to sit next to Kate. “Well then start talking. **_Now_** ”

 

*****

“..And uh…well… the end”

Clint finished his story and finally looked up at the adults surrounding the two teenagers and tried to gage their responses. Tony and Steve were pissed, Natasha looked oddly proud (and pissed), Bruce looked like he wanted to go home and check their bruises, Bucky looked like he was ready to smack the back of Clint’s head (which he did regularly), Thor looked like this would be a ‘grand tale to tell your children’, and Coulson kinda looked sad (wonder why…. Did he have a pet like the dog Clint saved? Was he sad because of how Clint and Kate had to fight? Why was Clint so hung up on this…?)

“So what you’re saying…” Steve finally spoke, a harsh tint to his voice, _yeah in so much trouble Clint_ “is that despite there being _several_ more _adult_ men that could _kill_ you, you two _fought_ these _adult men_ that could _kill you_ and didn’t think _once_ to _call_ us?!!?!”

Clint looked down at his shoes, the tips of his ears going red in embarrassment. _Deep shit, that’s what he’s in_ “Uhm…. Yes?”

Steve clenched his hands and walked away for a brief moment as Tony scrubbed at his face, “Jesus Christ Clint… Kate… Just. You…. I don’t even know what to say…. I truly don’t”

Clint looked at the two men that he had considered his family for the past year and felt his heart freeze, panic bubbling up. _Oh god, I’ve fucked up even worse than I thought. They are going to leave me, give me back to Trickshot. I’m going to go back to being bad. **I don’t want to be bad**_ “You aren’t… You aren’t gonna-”

Coulson, sensing the boy’s distress, brushed all the adults back and crouched in front of Clint, cutting him off “Breathe Clint. These two aren’t going to send you back, I promise. They love you too much” Coulson rubbed at Clint’s upper-arms, up and down in a soothing motion.

Clint gulped and looked at Coulson’s face, his heart beating fast as he tried to breathe like Coulson asked his to “Y-you sure?”

Coulson hummed and looked behind him at Tony and Steve, an eyebrow raised “Positive… Right men?”

Coulson stood up so Tony and Steve could rush over and wrap Clint in their arms, rushed phrases of love and keeping Clint forever pouring out of their mouths.

When Clint nodded and spoke a muffled apology into Steve’s shirt, he was dropped back into the seat next to Kate.

“You’re lucky Clint, I know my parents aren’t gonna care that I got hurt today…”

Clint sighed and wrapped his arms around her.

Tony huffed, “Yes well, your father may not care. But _we_ do, and as such – I’m pulling out rule 86 of Stark’s guide to raising brats, and I’m electing that both of you are grounded for at least a month”

Clint and Kate gaped at him “A month?!”

“You aren’t even my dad!!!”

Tony hummed and turned away “Stark rules guys, one month. No phones, no TV, you guys can have archery on Wednesdays – but that’s it, and don’t even think about sneaking your phones at school – I’ll know”

Kate smacked Clint in the shoulder, “This is your fault!”

Clint rolled his eyes, “I didn’t see you _not_ fighting the tracksuit vampires or calling the cops”

“….. I hate you”

“Love you too Katie-Kate”

 

*****

In the end, the dog was able to be saved by the surgery (if not his left eye), and Clint was able to take him home. Tony had originally been against the idea of having an animal in his tower, having never had one in his entire life. But upon looking at the dog, he sighed at the pathetic look it made, the thought of having the mutt in his tower still a little negative in his mind (the thing was dirty and looked like nobody ever fed it). But, of course, after realizing that he had left Clint alone and then grounded Clint _on his birthday_ , relented.

Which was a good thing because apparently the entire goddamn tower was chocked _full_ of animal lovers. Steve seemed to brighten up as the dog ambled out to lean up against Clint; Phil, Natasha, and Bucky didn’t _seem_ to change (but Tony could totally see a hint of smile on all of their faces), Bruce looked a lot calmer as he stuck out his hand to be sniffed, and Thor had already claimed the damn dog to be ‘of mightier blood to have survived such an accident as he had’.

Rolling his eyes, Tony ruffled Clint’s hair and smiled “So brat. What are you going to name the beast?”

Clint looked up at Tony and wrinkled his nose before looking down at the dog, “Well…. His dog tags said his name was Arrow, but I think that would just be a little _too_ cheesy if you know what I mean”

Tony snorted, “Yeah sure. You with your archery and a dog named arrow? Priceless”

Clint rolled his eyes, “Yeah right, _anyway_. Since I hate the name Arrow, I was thinking about Lucky”

Tony laughed, “You’re going to name a dog that got hit by a car after living years with the Russian mob _Lucky?_ ”

Clint smiled, “Well he survived the accident and got away from the tracksuit vampires. That’s pretty lucky to me.”

At the mention of the word Lucky, the dog seemed to perk up and rest his head on Clint’s knee, closing his one eye in pleasure as Clint scratched him behind the ears.

Tony sighed, and looked down at the mutt that had already claimed everyone’s heart (much like Clint’s introduction to the Avengers) “Lucky it is then…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( You can prompt me if you wish for other fics, or for any ideas you may have about this fic at [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 15  
> Life Event: Discovering Sexuality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cries* That moment where this chapter was going to be 4,500 words but ended up being 7,200 words.
> 
> A/N: Edited with the actual meaning of assexual (I think, sometimes I can't interpret things that I'm thinking correctly into words) that Phil would tell to Clint. Thank you for the correction nerdypenguin!

Clint had passed middle school with flying colors and had gone on to the public high school down the street from the tower (Tony and Steve had wanted him to go back to homeschooling, but Clint had won that argument). He was now 15 and was in all honors/AP courses, on the archery team with Kate, and had joined the cheerleading squad (luckily the two teams met on different days so his schedules never conflicted). Steve had looked pained when he first heard that Clint had joined in on a mainly girl sport, but eventually settled down when Natasha told him off (Bucky had been laughing on the couch the entire time). Once Steve (and the whole group for that matter) had seen what the cheerleading squad had to do (torture, the answer is torture), he was impressed and immediately retracted his doubts. Clint really enjoyed his schedule for the year (even though high school was _a lot_ harder than middle school), and was particularly happy about being the snot out of everyone else in his martial arts elective (Clint had never heard of a school that taught martial arts but hell, this _was_ New York).

It was about half way through the semester however, that Clint ran into a problem. A _big_ problem. Clint had begun to notice that girls were really fucking pretty…. And so were the boys.

 

*****

Tony had noticed Clint staring at a few guys his own age walking past them as they ate a quick lunch in a local café down the block from SHIELD HQ.

Smiling, Tony reached over and ruffled Clint’s hair “So… Those boys looked pretty cute, right?”

Clint looked up at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, his food forgotten “What?”

Tony rolled his eyes, “It’s okay to like boys, kiddo. I mean, Steve and I are together and we’re both boys… Well, men actually. But now we’re arguing semantics”

Clint gulped and his cheeks reddened, _aww so cute._ “Uh….. right….”

Tony hummed, “But let me tell you a few things about boys kid. Because you may think they’re gonna be easier with girls, _and that’s not the truth…”_

*****

Clint was traumatized, absolutely 110 percent absolutely traumatized. He could never _ever_ look at Tony Stark or Steve Rogers (or anybody) the same way ever again. All he had been doing was watching some guys (cute guys) walk by (subtle thoughts about kissing said cute guys going through his head), when out comes Tony fucking Stark with his goddamned sex talk.

_“Always use a condom and lube kid, and make sure to always prep - it’s easier that way”_

Clint shuddered as he unfortunately remembered it, good god he was never going to sleep again knowing that Steven Rogers was a bottom (why Tony _why)._ Clint prayed to god, or to whoever was out there (and hopefully not Thor because that would just be totally awkward) that he never had to hear one of his parents talk about sex ever again (and that he could hopefully brainwash himself into thinking he had never heard about it in the first place).

 

*****

It had been a few weeks since Tony had given Clint ‘The Talk’, and Clint had finally gotten to a point where he could block everything that Tony had said from his mind (denial was a wonderful thing). Clint had just finished up his first real archery competition (1st place in the solo category of course, 2nd place in the team events [there were a couple of shitty people on Clint’s team, and by shitty- Clint means can’t hit within an inch of the bullseye]), and Steve had offered to take Clint and Kate to the ice cream shop that they used to go to when they had been in middle school.

Kate had looked like she had wanted to go with them, but declined in favor of going to a gala her father was hosting (read: Being forced to go). Clint smiled and hugged Kate, congratulating on her own 1st place win in the free-form category, and then the two parted ways – Kate to a limo, Steve and Clint to the ice cream shop.

Clint was excited to be spending some alone time with Steve, the two hadn’t been able to talk much by themselves in a while. The two had quite a bit in common (a love of old-timey ice cream being one of them). Smiling at Steve, Clint sat down across from him and inhaled the food. The two sat in silence while they ate their ice cream, and after a bit Clint’s mind started to wander. It wandered all over the place until it landed on the girls that were currently crossing the street.

Steve was confused at first at what Clint was staring at, and then when he followed the boy’s line of sight, smiled at what he was looking at, “Do you think those girls are cute?”

Clint jerked his head back to look at Steve “…. Huh?”

Steve smiled indulgently at Clint and nodded to the girls, “You were staring at them…. It’s okay to stare you know, it’s perfectly healthy I swear”

Clint blinked, and then blinked again. _Oh no… Please god in heaven no, **not again.**_

Steve chuckled at Clint’s expression “It’s okay to like girls Clint, and it’s okay to sometimes look – as long you don’t try and objectify them or make passes at them without proper respect… See as long as you….”

Clint inwardly groaned and slumped forward onto his elbows, _Captain America is giving me the sex talk…_

 

*****

Clint was having an existential crisis at age 15. Clint was pretty sure a person his age shouldn’t be freaking out as much as he was (though, the way his life had gone at that point, Clint wasn’t surprised with anything his body did anymore). Tony Stark had given him the sex talk about boys, and Steve Rogers had given him the sex talk about girls, and now Clint was _freaking the fuck out._

Could a person like two genders? Was that a thing? _Was he allowed to like more than one gender or was he more than a freak than he thought he was._

Clint knew he couldn’t go to Tony or Steve about his problem because _hello source of problem,_ but his other options were also fairly limited. Bucky and Nat had gone away for a vacation weekend, Bruce and Betty were at a science convention, Thor and Jane (plus lovable sidekick Darcy plus the intern intern Ian) were doing science somewhere (Clint wasn’t paying attention to the specifics), and well as much as he loved Pepper and Happy, they were kinda trying for a baby and Clint was already more than traumatized enough for a lifetime thank you very much. His only option left was… well… Coulson.

 

*****

After that first initial talk, Coulson had handed Clint his card and told him to call him whenever Clint needed. He had never actually used the number on the card, but the two men (boys, whatever) had hung out a bit since that first time. Usually it was when Coulson was laid up after a mission gone wrong, and the subject of their conversation was always the latest Captain America comics, and whether or not the reboot of the Howling Commandos cartoon in the early 2000s was better than the original.

So now, Clint had found his way to Coulson’s office in SHIELD HQ, and was frozen in front of the door. Waiting for divine intervention to force him to at least _knock_ or something. Clint stood in front of that damn door for 15 agonizing minutes before realizing that he couldn’t do it. Clint go in there like he owned the place asking for _advice;_ that was Agent Phil Fucking Coulson’s office! Clint turned around and was about to storm out of the building in embarrassment when the door opened behind him and there was Coulson, in all his glory. “…Clint? Any reason you were standing outside my door for 15 minutes just to leave?”

Clint gulped and turned back around to face Coulson, his cheeks heating as he looked down at the floor, “Uhm… You said that if I ever had a problem I could come talk to you? I really hope this isn’t a bad time, I probably should have called and-”

“Clint!” Phil interrupted, “Calm down, you came at a perfect time actually, and like I promised – I’ll always be here to help you. Come on in and take a seat”

Clint nodded and brushed past Phil to get into the room, noticing the plush couch pushed against the wall. Walking over to it, Clint flopped into the seat and blinked in surprise when Coulson sat next to him.

“So… What’s the issue Clint?”

Clint shifted on the couch and looked down at his hands, “Well… Since the beginning of this school year, I’ve been feeling… Different I guess. Uhm more… aware? Of things I wasn’t aware before?”

Clint looked at Phil and hoped that Phil understood what Clint was saying without Clint having to say it. Phil nodded, “You’re hitting puberty and noticing that people are sexual, noticing that _you_ are sexual. Perfectly normal”

Clint nodded, “That’s what Tony and Steve said”

Coulson smiled and nodded, “Well your fathers would know”

Clint bit his lip and tilted his head down, “See that’s the problem….”

Coulson hummed, “Go on”

Clint took a deep breath, “Okay so Tony and I were in the café like a block away and I was kinda distracted by the boys that had been walking by and Tony noticed and then he started on this whole spiel about it’s okay to like boys and that I should always prep and use protection and lube and then he gave me tips because apparently Steve is a bottom and I was traumatized for life but I had finally blocked it out until my archery tournament where afterward Steve took me out for ice cream and I got distracted again but this time by girls and then he gave me a whole speech about how to properly woo and seduce a woman and now I’m confused because my parents have traumatized me for life and I’m going crazy because I don’t know who is correct or if I’m just a freak” Clint took a deep breath after his ramblings and looked at Coulson.

Coulson’s face could be seen as stoic, but Clint could tell by the slight tilt in the right corner of his lip that he was amused. _Goddamit, he thinks I’m a freak – fuck, he’s gonna tell Tony and Steve and I’m fucking gone. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, **SHIT.**_

Clint was about to stand up and make a run for it (maybe he could get jump up and get through the vents faster) when Coulson laid a hand on his arm and gently shoved him back down, “Clint wait hold on, calm down – you misinterpreted my mirth”

Clint frowned, “Then… if you weren’t making fun of me... Why?”

Coulson smiled and shook his head, “I just find it funny that between Steve and Tony, the rest of the Avengers, and being in high school – nobody has ever sat you down and explain what bisexuality is”

Clint titled his head, “Bisexuality….” Clint broke off and shook his head, confused. “Never heard of it…”

Phil hummed, “Well. Bisexuality means that you as a person are _physically_ attracted to two _different_ genders. I’m guessing in your case it’s male and female. But in some it could be male and transgendered females, female and transgendered males, and so on.”

Clint blinked and looked at Coulson blankly “You lost me Coulson….”

Coulson sighed and stood up, going over to his desk and rifling around in his drawers before coming out with a huge stack of what appeared to be pamphlets.

Clint frowned as Coulson sat back down next to him and handed him the pamphlets, “I don’t understand…”

Phil hummed, “Remember how I told you I was bullied a lot in middle school? Some of the reason was because I didn’t hide the fact that I didn’t just like girls, I liked boys too. Back then, and sadly, even now – it wasn’t very well accepted to be different from the ‘norm’. It wasn’t until after I went into the SHIELD program when I was 15 that I decided I wanted, when I actually had free time, to help other people figure out their sexuality too. I thought that would be a good way to help out the community without the use of paperwork or a gun. These are the pamphlets I’ve collected over the years, they should give you the best education about the entire LGBTQIA+ community and the lifestyle that it involves”

Clint shuffled through the pamphlets, a feeling of awe filling him as he looked at Coulson. “Jeez Coulson, you are something else”

Coulson smiled and winked at Clint, “My momma made me that way”

 

*****

Clint had read over the pamphlets several times before he found himself back at Coulson’s office a week later (still having not having talked to anyone else besides Coulson, not even Katie-Kate). Clint now knew the information he needed to know, but he still had so many questions.

Not so afraid this time, Clint knocked on the door and opened it when he heard Coulson’s soft, “Come”

Clint smiled and Coulson and held up the pamphlets “I have questions if you have time”

Coulson looked down at his paperwork and wrinkled his nose, which Clint should _not_ find kinda cute (seriously, should _not_ – Coulson was like 12 years old than him and was a fucking ninja, _no crushes Clint_ ) “Hmm… How about you give me 20 minutes and I’ll be all yours?”

Clint blinked and nodded quickly, “Uh yeah that’s fine, I have some homework I need to finish anyway…”

 

~

The two worked in relative silence for a little over 20 minutes (it was actually closer to 45, but Clint wasn’t counting) before Coulson finally looked up from his paperwork and gave a sigh. Clint watched the man stretch out his neck and upper-body for giving his full focus to Clint “Okay Clint, I’m all yours – what do you need?”

Clint put his homework to the side and smiled at Coulson, “I just have questions about all…” Clint gestured to the pamphlets.

Coulson hummed, “Sure – ask away”

Clint searched through the pamphlets and picked up one that had a colorful background, it had been the first one he read (and had also been full of the most information)“Okay so it’s LGBTQIA+, they stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, intersex, and… what’s the A? They never said”

Coulson nodded and stood up, “the A stands for asexual”

Clint blinked “Like… what cells do when they separate?”

Coulson laughed and sat next to Clint, “You have the right idea, but no. That’s not what it means. When people are asexual it means that they don’t need to have a physical relationship with anyone”

Clint nodded, “So what… they stay alone all their lives?”

Coulson shook his head and sighed, “The American school system is absolutely terrible at sexual education, no wonder teen pregnancy and sexual repression has been so high recently. No, being asexual isn’t the same thing as being aromantic. Asexuals could be in relationships, they just feel no need for there to be sexual side of it. Basically, they aren't attracted to any particular gender, nor do they need sex. But, they could still have a physical and emotional relationship if they wanted to.”

Clint frowned and began to search through his pamphlets, “I don’t remember there being anything about people being aromantic”

Phil sighed, “This is gonna be a long day”

Clint bit his lip, feeling guilty “Uhm… I could go if you don’t have the-”

Coulson once again stopped him with a hand to his arm, “No Clint, I wasn’t talking about me having to teach you, I was more commenting on the fact that the damn school system doesn’t teach any of this stuff…”

Clint nodded slowly and sat back down, “So what does aromantic mean?”

 

*****

Clint left Coulson’s office hours later and walked back to the tower getting home _way_ past his curfew, and was faced with wrath of about 10 people staring him down. Clint had a brief flashback to his 14th birthday and hoped he didn’t end up with a grounding (though he wasn’t that naïve to think he wouldn’t be grounded).

Tony stepped forward and took his shoulders in his hands and shook Clint gently, only startling Clint a little (if he had done that even a year ago, Clint would have been in the vents shaking and almost in tears – Clint liked to think he’s improved greatly), “Where in the _hell_ were you?!”

Clint looked at the entire room and gave everyone a rueful grin, “Uhm… With Coulson?”

Natasha let her eyebrows raise, “With Coulson?”

Clint sighed and looked at his family, “Look – Coulson said that if I ever had a problem I could come to him… So I did. That’s not that big a deal is it?”

Tony seemed like he wanted to say something, but was cut off by Steve “No, that’s not a big deal. What _is_ a big deal, however, is that you never answered your phone and worried us all sick. You know how worried we get after the Lucky incident” (Clint internally rolled his eyes, it had been over a year since the ‘Lucky incident’, and despite fears of retribution – Kate and Clint had stayed clear of all tracksuit vampires). Sensing his name had been spoken, the mutt loped his way over to Clint from his doggy bed and rubbed against him, whining softly.

“See? Even your damn dog was worried about you!”

Clint laughed at Tony, “Lucky didn’t miss me he just wants pizza. Don’t you pizza dog” Lucky woofed at the word ‘pizza’, and began to sniff around for his beloved treat.

Clint laughed and scratched behind Lucky’s ears, “I truly am sorry guys, I kinda lost track of time and you know I always keep my phone off…”

Steve sighed and Tony rolled his eyes, scrubbing his fingers through Clint’s hair (his favorite pastime besides robots and Steve Rogers), “Yeah yeah yeah brat, you’re still grounded”

Clint made a whining noise, startling Lucky as he looked up at Tony, “Awww dad, no” Clint’s brain took a moment to think over what he had just said, and then froze as soon as the words that had popped out of his mouth registered, just as everyone else did in the room.

Clint had been adamant since day one that he wasn’t going to call Steve or Tony by the traditional dad names, he hadn’t trusted either of them much, and never had had much stock in any of the phrases.

Before Clint could stand up to possibly run away, he was wrapped in Tony’s arms and the breath was being squeezed out of him. “Thank you Clint”

Clint nodded, “Yeah. Uhm... Welcome. Can’t breathe”

Steve laughed and gently detangled the billionaire from Clint’s body and gave Clint a hug of his own, “You’re special kid. Still grounded. But special”

Clint smiled and wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist pressing his face into Steve’s shoulder.

 

*****

Phil had just finished up his backlog of paperwork (the long discussion with Clint had put him behind schedule by a couple of hours, but luckily that was nothing _too_ major for Phil) and was just beginning to pack up his things when his door opened. Phil knew the only people that would ever be crass enough to come through that door without knocking are Natasha, Fury, and Maria Hill – Coulson didn’t bother deviating from putting everything away.

“So,” Natasha drawled from just inside the doorway, “I hear from a certain archer that you two had a long talk”

Phil slipped on his jacket and looked at her, frowning “We did. Did something happen?”

Natasha shook her head, “Despite his being over an hour late for curfew? Nothing major in conjunction with you…. I just thought we should have a little chat”

Phil looked at Natasha and could tell she was serious. Sighing, Phil set his briefcase down and threw himself into his desk chair “Chat away Natasha…”

Natasha hummed and sat on the edge of his desk, “I just wanted to remind you of Clint’s age. He _is_ only 15 to your 27…”

Phil blinked and felt his ‘Agent Coulson’ expression cover his actual expression and what he was feeling on the inside “Pardon me?”

Natasha shook her head, her red curls flowing about her face “Coulson. Phil. I have seen the way the two of you act around each other, almost as if you are two predators trying to make prey out of each other. It is very Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, and it would be very cute if Clint had been older…. Or perhaps if you were younger. But, with such a _big_ age gap between the two of you, it is not very good to watch…”

Phil frowned, “What in the hell are you talking about Natasha?”

Natasha hummed, “You’re in love with Clint”

Phil froze, his mouth falling open as he looked at Natasha. _What?!_ “Agent Romanova. That is a _heavy_ accusation that you have thrown at me and-”

Natasha simply glared at him, cutting him off “Phil. You may deny your feelings for Clint and not see what I see, but you are _infatuated_ with that boy, and I truly mean _boy_ Phil. He is very young and very impressionable, you are sending out the wrong message to him, giving him false ho-”

This time it was Phil’s turn to cut her off. Rising, Phil let himself flow into full Coulson mode “Agent Romanova, I am amused at the accusations you are making. The relationship between myself and Clint is purely platonic. If you remember correctly _you_ were the one that forced the bond between the two of us, and that bond has not grown into anything remotely inappropriate. If you attempt to try and raise this issue once more, I will forced to severely reprimand you. Now, I am on my way home – and as such, you should leave”

Natasha hummed and slid off of Phil’s desk, “That may be so Coulson. But I warn you, don’t break that boy’s heart – it isn’t fair to him… or to you for that matter.” With those final words, Natasha swept her way out of Phil’s office, leaving the man alone with his thoughts.

 _Fuck Phil, you’re in deep deep shit… Am I in love with Clint? Was Natasha correct? He’s a fucking kid, there’s no way I could be in love with him… Phil Coulson you are not a pervert, and you just have to… prove it. To yourself, to Clint, and to Natasha._                                                                                                      

 

*****

Clint smiled a week later, feeling freer now that his grounding had been lifted for good behavior. A Tony Stark/Steve Rogers grounding can be excruciating in the tower, what with JARVIS being turned off in his room except for emergencies, his computer taken away for everything but homework, and even his other technological toys being locked away (technological grounding sucked, what else was there to do? Clint had already read all the damn books in his room), and Clint had been bored by sitting all alone in his room; only cheerleading and archery letting his escape from the boring white texture of his walls (Tony had once offered to paint walls purple if Clint had wanted, but Clint had never been secure enough to actually take Tony up on the offer).

Humming to himself, Clint found himself heading over to Phil’s office to ask the older man a few more questions (he got the point of the different sexualities, but now he was confused on what the different _genders_ meant). Knocking on the door, Clint counted to ten and then stepped in after Coulson’s soft “Come” had permeated through the door.

Clint had slipped into the room and smiled at Coulson, the man’s nose still stuck in his computer screen “Hey… I uh… Just had a couple more questions if you have the time, then I swear I won’t need any more help”

Coulson hummed distractedly “Not today Clint… I’m a little busy…”

Clint blinked, that had been the first time Coulson had ever said that “Oh. Uhm. Sure…. Is it okay if I come back tomorrow?”

Coulson looked up at Clint and sighed, tapping his fingers against the keys of his keyboard “Clint… I don’t believe it’s a good idea for you to be coming around here anymore…”

Clint felt his body jerk, “What?”

Coulson sighed again, his hand lifting to rub at his nose “Look Clint. It’s been fun to help you out, but I just don’t have the time anymore. Why don’t you see if your school has an LGBTQIA+ club or something? I’m sure they could help you as much as I could….”

Clint felt his heart crack in his chest for some reason “Oh… yeah… That…. That’s fine with me…. Sorry to,” Clint shook his head, he didn’t want to push his pity fest onto Coulson, “Thanks anyway Coulson…. See you at Dad’s Avengers gala thingy tomorrow” and with those final words, Clint was gone.

 

*****

Phil felt like complete and utter horse-shit. Clint had just rushed out of his office like Satan was chasing after him, and it was all Phil’s fault. He should have handled Clint differently than he had, but now he had fucked everything up. This is what happens when Natasha mentions thing that Phil apparently wasn’t aware of; he gets all shook up. All he had wanted to do was make sure Clint had known that they were strictly friends, but had become flustered and came off the wrong way. Now Clint was avoiding him and Natasha was glaring at him.

 

*****

Tony and Steve watched as Clint became more and more withdrawn as time passed after his last grounding. He didn’t really like to talk to any of the adults any more, and was only seen outside his room during school, his extracurricular activities, or a mealtime. In conjunction to this, Natasha always seemed to be angry, and Coulson never came to the tower anymore (unlike his frequent visits of the past).

Clint was almost acting like he had when he had first arrived at the tower, and both Tony and Steve decided they needed to take action. It was a week before the Stark “Avengers” Gala, and Steve and Tony wanted the issue to be resolved before then (or at least know what the issue is before then).

Steve went first and knocked on Clint’s door. “Clint? It’s Tony and me… Can we come in?”

Tony felt his fingers tap against his leg as they waited for about a minute before Clint himself opened his door, “I’m not in the mood to talk guys, what do you want?”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Well brat, too bad – we need to talk”

Steve shot Tony a look before turning back to Clint, “Can we come inside Clint? We just wanna know what’s going on. You’ve been more reserved lately and it’s making us nervous”

Clint sighed and walked into his room, leaving the door open – a sign that it was okay for them to come in. Tony went first and Steve followed, closing the door behind them.

Clint was already settled back on the bed, his nose stuck in one of his textbooks. Tony hummed and eventually flopped down in Clint’s desk chair while Steve stood next to him.

The trio were silent for about ten minutes when Clint sighed and looked up at them, “Didn’t you guys want to talk to me or something?”

Steve nodded, “We did. We were just waiting for your attention”

Clint rolled his eyes, “You have it. What do you want?”

Tony sat forward, “First maybe some respect. Your attitude is really shitty right now. Two – what the hell is going on with you?”

Clint huffed and sat up, “I’m not giving you attitude – I just wanted to know what you wanted, and nothing. Nothing is going on with me. I’m fine”

Steve shook his head, “That’s bull and you know it Clint”

Tony snorted, he loved when Steve pulled away from his ‘goodie two shoes, never curses’ image. It showed how real Steve was (the man had been in the army for Christ’s sake, and yet everyone that he was some Christian virgin who had never done anything worse than kill a fly).

Clint frowned, “No it isn’t. I’m fine!”

Steve sighed, “Clint you’ve withdrawn from everyone. You never leave your room, and you don’t even hang out with Kate anymore! What’s wrong? Is it drugs?”

Tony jumped up, “It better not be drugs Clint, that shit is dangerous”

Clint made a disgusted face, “It’s not drugs! Jesus Christ you guys are the worst sometimes…”

Tony breathed in a sigh of relief, “Good, that’s good….But seriously brat, what’s wrong?”

Clint sighed and flopped into his bedcovers, “Look I just…. Interpreted something the wrong way, was corrected, and now I’m kinda depressed about it. Okay? I’m pretty being depressed in a typical teen thing so….”

Tony sighed, “Is that all? Jesus kid you were scaring us… Well let me give you the clichéd spiel, you know, the one every parent gives there kid. It wasn’t meant to be, you’ll be okay, there are plenty more fish in the sea, yadda yadda. Make you feel better?”

Steve glared at Tony, a _we’re talking about this later_ expression on his face. Clint however, laughed “Yeah sure. Well, sort of… But I appreciate it all the same”

Tony winked at Clint and nudged Steve with his elbow, “Alrighty brat. I think we’ve taken up enough of your time, we’ll be on our way…”

Clint nodded and waved at them distractedly, his focus already back on his book “Bye guys”

With that, Tony and Steve left Clint to his books and his silence, heading to their own room (probably to argue, but that happened quite a bit in their lives).

 

*****

Clint after five days had finally decided to stop with the pity fest he was holding a day before the gala. He smiled when Natasha gave him one of her rare smiles, he laughed when Tony gave him a nugie, and he stayed still while Steve taught him how to tie a bowtie. He was okay, and he was over his stupid budding crush on Coulson. In fact, he was thankful for the older man pulling the wool away from his eyes. Clint was thankful that Coulson had made him see that their meetings weren’t something more than an older man teaching a younger one about the world. It wasn’t romantic and it certainly wasn’t anything more than friendly, and Clint was glad he now understood that.

Clint Francis Barton Stark Rogers was over Phillip J Coulson and he was totally going to be okay. He would always be okay.

*****

Tony and Steve were sitting side by side at the head of the Avengers table at the gala (front and center), snuggled up close and not caring that everybody (even after all these years) were making remarks about ‘gay superheroes’. Clint was sitting a couple of seats down from them, obviously disgusted with the food options and was trying really hard (and failing almost miserably) not to show it as he pushed the food around the plate with his fork. The other couples on the Avengers team and SHIELD were sitting around the table talking and having what appeared to be a good time (appeared being the operative word, every one of them hated these stupid events, even Tony and Pepper hated them and they were the ones that threw the damn things!)

Tony turned away from some conversation Steve was having with Bucky about the ‘modern day great depression’, and hummed as he looked around the entire room, noticing the different people that he would have to mingle with later; hoping that he would be able to get at least one dance in with his boyfriend that evening. Tony looked to Clint once more, wondering if he could possibly find the brat someone to talk to so he wouldn’t feel so alone tonight. Maybe one of the other attendants had brought their kid? That might be worth looking into…

 

*****

Clint breathed in a sigh of relief when everyone finally stood up after dinner had been swept away and began to move about the room, it had been extremely uncomfortable to sit at the ‘table of honor’ with all the other Avengers and company, and he hated that everyone had been staring at them. Clint also what he knew they were saying about Tony and Steve, that they couldn’t be real superheroes because they were gay – utter bullshit, but hell Clint was only one person.

When the dancing began, Clint faded into the background and began to take more stock in his surroundings. It was one of his favorite things about Stark galas (well, the two that he’d been to anyway), the people watching. Clint loved to watch the people interact with each other, noticing how they had what appeared to be business meetings over a glass of champagne, political debates over a waltz, secret love affairs on the balcony, it was freaking awesome. Clint had wished that Kate’s father had brought (forced) Kate to come along to this gala so that he could have friend to people watch with, but Clint knew that Kate had put her foot down about being used as symbol for Bishop’s ‘good and family interests’.

Clint walked around the room for a little bit before he spotted Coulson. Clint had thought the older man wasn’t coming since he hadn’t been at the Avengers table, but apparently the man had come in late. Clint wanted to go over and say hi, or perhaps a thank you, or even another apology for wasting his time, but he didn’t. Clint just watched the man from afar.

Coulson looked good, Clint freely admitted it to himself. The man rocked a tuxedo, just like he rocked a suit (and on one memorable occasion, sweats). He looked poised and elegant in a way that Clint never could when he was wearing a suit or tuxedo ( _fucking monkey suits_ ). Despite reassurances from literally _everyone,_ Clint still saw himself as somewhere closer to white trash than chic, and just couldn’t see himself as a person that looked good in something so constrictive. Clint was a jeans and t-shirt kinda guy, not slacks and polos. Not suits like Coulson. _Man I need to stop thinking about Coulson, I’m being such a dumb teenager that you always see in the stupid movies._

Clint sighed and shook his head, turning to look at Coulson one more time before noticing the woman draped on his arm.

 

*****

Phil had been surprised when Audrey had called him earlier that week. Audrey was a cellist with the Portland Philharmonic and Phil hadn’t spoken to her in a long while. The two of them had been an item a couple years back, but after she moved to Portland and the whole ‘dying’ thing, the two had broken up. They had had a moderately good relationship founded on a love of classical music and a shared obsession on flavored coffees, but besides that and some moderately satisfying sex, the relationship was lacking. So Phil had expected to never hear from Audrey again, which was fine with him. Phil usually didn’t have time for a relationship, and he and Audrey had almost never seen each other. But, Audrey called Phil and told him that she was moving back to New York and was working with their Philharmonic, and wondered if they could try things out again. Usually, Phil would have said no and offered to stay friends, his motto that if it didn’t work once it wouldn’t work again. But after the whole thing with Clint, Phil found himself agreeing to going out with Audrey, to taking her to the Stark gala. Phil hadn’t noticed Clint’s lurking, or his expression when he saw Audrey, but Phil did see the approval in Natasha’s eyes, and that was all that mattered to Phil. _Not in love with a 15 year old, not a pervert, I’m doing great… Just keep telling that to yourself Phil._

 

*****

Tony had made his rounds across the room, moving in counter-point to Pepper (a newly pregnant Pepper if Tony’s theory was correct), and he could tell that Stark Industries would be having a few more deals to work with under their belt by the time the gala was over. As Tony finished talking to his last potential client, he noticed that Pepper had been swept onto the dance floor by a beaming Happy, and smiled at the couple. _They look so happy… Happy. Ha, I’m so witty._

Taking a break himself, Tony searched around the room until he found his patriotic boyfriend talking to an Agent Coulson that just so happened to have an ex-girlfriend cellist hung on his shoulder.

Swinging an arm around Steve’s shoulders, Tony interrupted the conversation “Coulson, you dog! I thought your cellist had moved back to Portland!”

The girl in question blushed while Coulson gave Tony a bland stare ( _God_ Tony loved riling the man up) “ _Audrey_ has just moved back to New York, Stark. Terribly sorry for our lateness”

Tony waggled his eyebrows, “I’m sure there was a good excuse…”

Phil gave him a blank stare, “Bad traffic”

Even Steve snorted at that one…

  
*****

Clint didn’t know why it felt like his heart was slowly breaking into two pieces (again), but apparently he hadn’t been as over Phil Coulson as he thought. It was fucking ridiculous! Clint shouldn’t even be having thoughts about some badass pencil pusher ( _like you actually believe that Clint)_ that was 12 years older than him, he should be thinking about kids his own age! _Dammit! Why can’t I just be attracted to Kate and have a loving archery relationship with her for the rest of our lives?_

Clint sighed and moved out of the room to get away from the noise, settling himself on the ledge of the balcony and looked out into the night sky.

“You’re going to fall you know”

Clint startled at the words and only kept from falling by his natural balance. Turning his body around, Clint looked at who the intruder of his moment was.

“Uhm…?”

The girl who had spoken stepped out of the shadows, and Clint blinked at her. She was kinda… Hot? Bleach- blonde hair, almost the color of his own covered a small face and a tall body. The girl had blue eyes and a curvy mouth, and she was one of the prettiest girls Clint had ever seen.

“Bobbi. Bobbi Morse…. And you are?”

Clint’s mind froze, “Uhhhh”

Bobbi laughed and walked closer to Clint “Nice to meet you Uhhhh”

Clint shook his head and swung his legs off of the ledge and back onto the concrete side of the balcony “My name isn’t Uhh… It’s Clint. Uhm, Clint Barton Rogers Stark… Or is it Clint Barton Stark Rogers? I can never remember…”

The girl smiled and nodded, “Having such a prestigious name can be hard to remember. I still don’t know all of my middle names, I think one of them was Tiffany?”

Clint jumped down onto the concrete and offered her his hand, “It’s nice to meet you Bobbi possibly Tiffany Morse, I’m Clint Barton Rogers or Stark Stark or Rogers”

Bobbi grinned and shook his hand, “The pleasure is _all_ mine”

Clint felt like this was the start of a very good cliché (and possible relationship).

 

*****

Tony had gotten his wish and had danced a beautiful waltz with Steve, and had even gone his way through most of the Avengers (plus their lovely companions) when he finally needed to take a breather.

Nodding to Steve who looked to be in a heated discussion with the vice president, Tony made his way out of the crowded ballroom and onto the balcony. He had thought that he would be alone out there. He wasn’t.

In the corner of the balcony were two figures that looked to be in some sort of embrace. Tony smiled and remembered when romance had been like that, hiding in the shadows with your lover seeming like fun (now it was just a big hassle). Tony wanted to give the two their moment, but was too hot to go back inside. So he decided that he would just stick to the far side of the balcony and hope that the two lovers didn’t see him.

The three of them stayed out on the balcony for a while, and Tony was really beginning to respect their stamina and breath-control when Steve burst through the balcony doors.

Tony jolted and spun to face Steve, a question already written on his face that slowly paled when he saw how worried Steve looked. Steve briefly cast his eyes around the balcony before landing on Tony.

“Jesus Christ Steve, what the fuck is wrong now?!”

Steve ran over, “We can’t find Clint anywhere. Nobody’s seen him in over an hour and a half!”

Tony felt his heart go cold, “Shit. Have we tried his cell?”

“Off”

“Tracker?”

“He’s apparently still at the gala...”

Tony frowned, “If he’s still here…..” and then Tony froze. _No way._ Tony shot a side look at the two lovers that still had no clue of their surroundings, despite Steve’s lack of quiet. Paying closer attention, Tony could see the blond spiky hair and the big hands clutched around a girl’s waist.

Choking, Tony pulled Steve closer and whispered in his ear, “Look to your right and you’ll find our son”

Steve frowned as he pulled away, looking over to his right at the couple. His eyes immediately went wide as he looked back at Tony.

Tony nodded in understanding and lead Steve back inside.

*****

Phil Coulson was worried about where Clint was. He knew the boy was at the gala, but the fact that everyone had lost him was worrying. Who knows what could happen at something where so many people were at?

The whole group were gathered together waiting for Steve to drag back Tony when Phil spotted them jogging into the room. Phil nodded to the rest of the group and turned to Tony and Steve, “Well… Did you guys happen to find Clint? Or do we need to send out a search party?”

Tony shook his head, “We found him, and trust me – no one wants to send a search party”

Natasha, the protective mother hen that she was, glared at Tony “Explain Stark, now”

Steve seemed to blush and scratched at his hair, Phil now knew something was up with Clint (and it was shocking) “Well... You see guys… Clint…Clint uhm…”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Clint has his tongue down some girl’s throat”

Oh. Well then….Phil hadn’t been expecting that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> (( You can prompt me if you wish for other fics, or for any ideas you may have about this fic at [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 16  
> Life Event: Bobbi Morse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is a small sex scene between Bobbi and Clint. It's not completely explicit, but if they are your NOTP you can skip the scene quite easily.  
> Also, Bobbi is a little OOC from what I've seen in the comics.

After the Stark gala, Bobbi and Clint didn’t see each other for over a year. The two had separated after their steamy make-out session to their perspective parents and had never spoken to each other again. Clint went into the 10th grade, turned 16, and got his license for both cars and motorcycles (Steve could very well say Clint couldn’t drive a motorcycle when half the team drove one frequently). So Clint drove his SUV to school every weekday (Clint had decided a flashy car wasn’t really his thing…. Yet), and on the weekends his Harley was his _baby._ Clint loved the damned thing so much Kate had begun to sing ‘Here Comes the Bride’ every time she saw Clint riding it (or as Clint would say ‘her’. _She’s named Cassidy Katie-Kate, you offend her with your non-binary pronouns)_.

Clint was still on the cheerleading squad and the archery team, and had somehow found time for the National Honor’s society and Science Olympiad (might as well try and make everyone happy for kicks, and get a well-rounded resume for college to boot). He was taking as many AP courses as he could and he was slowly going insane (his guidance counselor had said that was normal when Clint talked to him about colleges, so everything must be okay). So, in all realness, Clint had forgotten about those stolen moments with Bobbi at Stark’s gala the previous year. In fact, with as full as his schedule was – Clint really didn’t have time for a sexuality at all, he was too damn **_busy_**.

 

~

It was also in this year that Clint had also seemingly forgotten about his crush on Phillip J Coulson (key word – _seemingly_ ). What with both of their busy schedules, the relationship the two had forged in the previous year had all but fizzled completely (Natasha having, of course, helped that along quite a bit). The two saw each other in passing, usually when Phil was at the tower to hound the Avengers for their paperwork, and sometimes the two talked – but for the most part, the two stayed separated. That didn’t exactly stop Clint from feeling a twinge of pain whenever Phil was seen with that stupid Cellist of his, nor did it stop Phil Coulson from sometimes thinking about their talks late at night before he went to bed.)

 

~

So it then came to a surprise to Clint, when at the latest football game, he saw a familiar face on the opposing school’s cheerleading team. The girl was a little taller than the last time Clint had saw her (and her boobs looked bigger too, _not that Clint was paying that much attention or anything_ ), and she still had the platinum blonde hair that had been such a drawing point for Clint last year. She apparently was one of their flyers, and by _god_ seeing her bouncing around and flying through the air made him think things that he had completed forgot existed. In fact, Clint had to start thinking about Natasha carving his guts out of his body to stop those thoughts being shown to everyone in the entire stadium (and being felt by his fellow squad members that used him as a human tree-stump).

Clint turned his gaze away from Bobbi when half-time hit, and began to focus on simply cheering with his team and not the sky-scraper wanting to build in his pants. He had no clue what the hell he performed or said, but it must have been the usual ‘ra ra crap’ since none of his team-mates punched him in the nuts (like the girls were known to do when the guys got out of line. The guys never got out of line)

Clint was really glad that the Avengers had had to go to Thailand to fight off some bad guy or another, and hadn’t come to the game (like they _always_ did, which was embarrassing when Bucky Fucking Barnes starts screaming in Russian about ‘lack of proper technique’ in some poor girl’s dismount of her triple tuck over). The lack of Avengers also meant that he was spared the embarrassment of his dad’s seeing his possible erection, and the meet up he had with Bobbi after the game.

 

~

Clint could see Bobbi talking to some cheer-mates of her’s, and waited for the two other girls to leave before he walked up behind her. The stadium had cleared out for the most part, the teams going off on their merry way to celebrate (in his team’s case), or to drown their sorrows (in Bobbi’s team case) – all in all, everybody would probably have a hangover in the morning. Well, except for Clint, Clint wasn’t a drinker. So, he and Bobbi had the stadium to themselves. Everything was quiet and Clint hoped he wouldn’t come off as creepy.

“Uh… Bobbi? Bobbi Morse?” Clint croaked before mentally cursing himself to hell, _why **now** does my voice croak? Why not half way through the damn game?! Or better yet, when I get home!_

Bobbi tensed, turned on her heel, and spun to look at him; relaxing when she realized that Clint wasn’t a threat “Oh it’s you, you scared the crap out of me”

Clint gave Bobbi a crooked smile and shrugged his shoulders, “Sorry….I wasn’t sure if you would recognize me…”

Bobbi rolled her eyes and shook her head, her hair coming loose from the bun she had put in to frame about her face in wisps. “Trust me. A girl would _never_ forget those lips of yours.”

Clint laughed, winking “I’m pretty sure no boy would forget yours either”

Bobbi smirked at Clint, slowly letting her body relax. Her hip cocked and her chest began to stick out more, a ‘come hither’ look on her face (or maybe Clint was just imaging things) “You know… My team bus is about to leave, but I don’t have to be on it if I don’t _want_ to be…..”

Clint felt his lips tilt up into a smirk of his own as he looked Bobbi over, “Is that a hint… Miss Morse?”

Bobbi rolled her hips (and _damn_ did Clint’s blood boil in the best way) and winked, “That was a suggestion Mr. Barton Rogers Stark… Actually no, I believe that was downright unsubtle. Take me back to your place Clint”

Clint felt his body stir as he looked at her, his mind shutting off as he grabbed her hand. Leading her through the stadium and over to his bike, Clint couldn’t help but think about Phil Coulson and the Avengers – _oh yeah. So glad the team is out fighting for the night……_

 

*****

Clint slammed Bobbi into his bedroom door and kissed her passionately, his strength holding both of them up. His teenage hormones were fucking _raging_ and _damn_ did he need some release! By Bobbi’s moans and her hands gripping his hair tight, Clint knew that she was in the same boat. Would they probably both regret this in the morning when Bobbi had to find a way home? Probably. Is Clint going to think about any repercussions at this very moment? _Hell_ no.

“We should get to the bed” Clint spoke to between open mouth kisses, trying his mightiest not to grind against Bobbi’s legs and end the whole damn night before it started. His hands had already started to migrate between their bodies, his fingertips teasing the edge of her skirt to get to the heavenly prize underneath.

“Yeah, bed. Bed is good” Bobbi panted against Clint’s lips, her hips pushing greedily against his body. Begging for the release that she just _knew_ Clint could give her, and give her like no other boy had ever done before.

Growling, Clint captured Bobbi’s lips with his own and walked them over to the bed before falling onto it, Bobbi trapped underneath him. Sitting up, Clint let his eyes wander over Bobbi’s body, his eyes taking in the subtle details that nobody else would catch – the way her ribs contracted when she breathed, the quiver in her thighs when Clint’s gaze passed over them, the curling over her toes when Clint licked his lips, the way she closed her eyes ever so gently – all symbols of her growing desire that Clint wanted to taste so _badly._

“Like what you see?”

Clint was drawn out of his reverie at Bobbi’s words, and his mouth dried up when he finally noticed that she had her breasts cupped in her hands, squeezing them every five seconds on the dot. Clint couldn’t help but become completely hard at the sight, and despite efforts to control himself, groaned loudly.

Bobbi smirked of course, knowing her effect on Clint. Gaining back the upper-hand, however, Clint smacked Bobbi’s hands away and began to massage and tease her breasts with his own two hands. His mouth began to roam its way across her neck and shoulders, nipping and teasing with teeth and tongue. The result was satisfying to say the least. Bobbi began to let off tiny moans and little puffs of air, her hips beginning to buck once again. “Clint…. I need…. It…. I need… You… I need… Something... _Now!_ ”

Clint nodded hurriedly, and between one second and the next their clothes were gone. Another second to slip on a condom, and a forth second to thrust into Bobbi’s warm heat.

Clint didn’t know if either of them were actually doing anything right, but obviously they must have at least gotten some sort of grove because before too long Bobbi was crying out in pleasure. Clint was coming into the condom – and they both fell into a blissful sleep side-by-side.

 

*****

Tony Stark didn’t understand why there were so many mutants and monsters in the world, where in the hell did they all come from? Where these mad scientists and aliens all just sticking their thumbs up their asses and dreaming of one day ruling the world, and suddenly when there actually _was_ a team to stop them, **_that’s_** _when they decide to try and take over?!!_ It didn’t make any damn sense! Not only did it make no sense to Tony, it also pissed him off when he was forced to miss one of Clint’s events because of it. The kid had already had some much disappointment in his life, and the team only had another two years left of him being an adolescent – they should damn well be able to enjoy it! But _nooooooo_ , please Mr. Bad guys and evil scientists – bring on your mutants and monsters! Make Tony Stark miss his son’s cheerleading competition! Why should he care about other people’s feelings? Why should he and his life partner, and his goddamn team be allowed to spend a birthday at home than fighting monsters in Italy, or mutants in Taiwan, or fucking _Hydra_ in goddamn Poland! So, Tony and the team had missed Clint’s game – they all felt bad, but it was an occupational hazard. They all knew Clint understood, but it still felt like utter _betrayal_ every time they had to miss something important in Clint’s life, especially since the 7 years they had started with was slowly winding down to less than three.

The team had gotten home from Thailand late in the morning the day after Clint’s game. They all were too wired to actually get any sleep before the debrief in a couple of hours, so a mandatory team breakfast was on the books for them. Tony got JARVIS to set up the Keurig machine before slumping across both Steve and Bruce’s laps and groaning at the world, “I hate overnight missions, I never get any sleep!”

Steve smiled and rolled his eyes fondly, his hand brushing through Tony’s hair in just the _perfect_ way, “You never get any sleep to begin with”

Tony pouted and looked up at Steve, “That’s different. I _choose_ not to sleep, not being forced not to!”

Coulson chose that moment to enter the room, “No one is forcing you not to take an hour long nap before the debrief Stark, you’re choosing not to sleep”

Stark sighed heavily and looked over, “You know Agent Agent, I liked you better when you were the silent type. Much better for my peace of mind”

Natasha snorted, “You have no peace of mind Stark – you never did.”

“I get no love around here!”

Steve gave a mock gasp, “I love you!”

Tony glared, “Oh you dirty cheat and-”

Tony was cut off by a girl’s high-pitched squeak and harsh Russian phrases spewing from Natasha and Bucky’s lips. Sitting up quickly, Tony watched as Bucky lifted a girl off the ground and Natasha held a knife to her throat. “Who the hell are you?!”

The girl looked at the knife with wide eyes and began to struggle in Bucky’s arms, “Oh my god, please let me go!!”

For some reason, the girl looked familiar to Tony but he couldn’t place his finger on it. It was something to do with her blonde hair, it was strikingly reminiscent of something that Tony just couldn’t remember.

Natasha spewed something out in Russian again ( _Damn_ Tony needed to learn Russian, that would be the only way he would ever understand what anyone was saying around here!), “I will only ask one more time – _Who the hell are you?”_

“Для черт возьми Наташа, положил ее вниз, она со мной”

Natasha’s head jerked away from the girl to look at where the voice had drifted in through the room, and Tony _knew_ some shit was going down by the way her breath seemed to choke off.

The room as a whole stood still as Clint entered the room after speaking, his hair tussled and only half-dressed. The playboy part of Tony’s brain immediately supplemented what his father brain wouldn’t – his son got laid last night while he was off fighting monsters. Tony’s brain then completely froze for a few moments before it went into hyper-drive, and before he knew it he was yelling, and Steve was yelling, and Natasha and Bucky were still threatening the girl, and it was all just a big goddamn mess.

 

*****

Phil hadn’t expected to feel his world collapse when he had walked into the Avengers Tower after the mission that morning. In fact, Phil had been hoping for some world rocking moments later that evening when he would be going out on a date with Audrey. Phil was totally prepared to deal with Stark after about three days of little to no sleep, two Russian assassins who were a little trigger happy with adrenaline still coursing through their veins. Hell, Phil was totally prepared for even the Hulk to pop up at the breakfast table and demand to be fed every single pancake that the entirety of the tower could make. He was not prepared, however, for Clint Francis Barton Rogers Stark and his goddamn ‘I just had sex all night’ look, nor was he prepared to come face-to-face with the person he had had sex with the previous night.

Recognizing her as the girl from Stark’s gala a year ago [ _Bobbi Morse – only daughter of Victor and Jan Morse. Extremely wealthy and on the fast-track to a brilliant field of Biology, loves cheerleading and mixed martial arts_ ],Phil couldn’t help but feel a tiny swirl of jealousy in his gut as he looked at the two younger teens. Clint was getting yelled at in all different directions and he wrapped the girl in one of his arms and rubbed his hand up and down her side (a soothing gesture if Phil was to guess correctly, which he would have if he had said it out loud).

Holding up his hand, Phil waited for approximately 5 seconds before the room fell completely silent. “Avengers, you have a briefing at 2PM. I’m going to roll everything you guys are feeling into one quick sermon so you guys can get changed and possibly catch a nap before then.” Phil turned to Clint and the girl, “Did you wear a condom? Were you safe? Do your parents know you’re here, and if not do they care? Why would you do something like this? Are you planning on continuing this relationship? If you get pregnant you’re on your own, and if you try and hold this relationship against one another or against the other’s guardians there will be consequences” Phil took a breath and looked at the two, waiting for answers and confirmations.

Clint sighed, “Yes. Yes. No they don’t and no they don’t. Hormones? Yes. Uhm…. Pregnancy may be pushing it, and neither one of us would try and hold the relationship against anyone….. Happy?”

Phil hummed and looked at the other Avengers, his eyebrow raised as a simple ‘Well? Are you?’ The team all seemed to nod and agree, and with that Phil bid his goodbyes and left. His jealousy trailing him as he exited the building.

 

*****

Clint had really been hoping that the team wouldn’t be in the tower that morning, in fact, he had been counting on it. Clint knew that Steve and Tony were okay with him having sex (if any parent could be okay with their kids being _sexual_ ), but he knew they wouldn’t be okay with him flaunting it in their faces. So yeah, Clint had hoped he would have been able to spirit Bobbi away before the hoard descended onto the tower. But of course that didn’t happen, since when did Clint’s luck ever become _that_ good?

So Clint had been faced with his two favorite Russian assassins dangling his girlfriend by their fingertips, screaming Russian slurs at her. What a way to start a morning, eh?

Sighing, Clint called out to them – “Для черт возьми Наташа, положил ее вниз, она со мной”

Clint winced when Bobbi was dropped and stepped into the room, wincing even further when everybody began to shout. Drawing Bobbi into his body, he tried to calm her nerves by rubbing her side gently, _I would be freaked out too if I was suddenly yelled at by 7 adult superheroes who I didn’t know…_

Clint felt even worse when Coulson started to ask those questions in that monotone voice of his which he only used on people he really _really_ hated. Which, fuck you Coulson! _You were the one that pulled out the ‘we can’t do this’ card you piece of shit, you have no right to act all pissy with me._

Clint answered all the questions as best he could, and couldn’t help but tense when Coulson then just brushed past him like he didn’t matter. Though technically, Clint didn’t matter in Coulson’s eyes – he was just some kid that he had helped out, nothing more and nothing less.

So why did the brush off hurt so badly?

It shouldn’t. It really shouldn’t. Clint was with Bobbi (and boy was he _with_ her), so Phillip J Coulson and his adorable blue eyes shouldn’t be effecting him so much.

_Goddamit……_

 

~

Clint had seen Bobbi off at her parent’s mansion and had left with her phone number, a date for that Saturday already planned between the two.

Clint wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to balance having a girlfriend on top of his busy schedule, and he wasn’t sure how Bobbi would be doing it either (her schedule was about as busy as his), but if she was willing to make it work – so was Clint.

 

*****

Clint’s head shot forward as he was smacked with something from behind, clutching a hand to the back of his head Clint spun around to face Clint, “Ow?!”

Kate just rolled her eyes, “Maybe if you had been paying a lick of attention for the past ten minutes, we could have avoided that. Seriously man, where the hell is your head today?”

Clint sighed and rubbed at the spot that had been struck, “Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind”

“Is it about Bobbi?”

Clint shot a look at her, “How the hell do you know about Bobbi? We’ve literally only been going out for a-”

“Alex is on the cheer squad remember? All she had to do was mention who you were staring at and I knew who she was talking about. You do remember that all of our parents frequently ‘business talk’ together, right?”

Clint sighed, “Yeah. Sorry, sometimes I forget I’m rich and you are too. I guess it’s because we go to normal people school”

Kate rolled her eyes, “Normal people school? Really, Clint?”

“Oh shut up, you know what I meant”

“And isn’t that frightening” Kate spoke in a teasing tone and nudged Clint with her shoulder, “Sooooo give me the deets”

Clint looked at her with a pained expression, “Aww, Kate nooooo”

“Aww, Clint yessss. I need to know _everything_ ”

Clint sighed and thumped his head against her shoulder and mumbled.

“Ah yes, since I am fluent in Clint mumble, I totally understood what you just said”

Clint glared at Kate and sighed, “We had sex”

Kate made a face, “Oh ewwwwww”

“Hey! You wanted to know!”

Kate rolled her eyes again (Kate did that a lot around Clint) “Yeah, but not _that_ much”

Clint smirked, “Too late Katie-Kate. I had sex with Bobbi Morse, lots of sex – sweaty sex. It was very loud and very-”

“Ew! EW! EW! Shut up!!!!! That’s disgusting you asshole”

Clint waggled his eyebrows, “Come on Katie-Kate, I thought you needed to know _everything_ ”

Kate made a disgusted noise, “I’ve changed my mind! Let’s just go back to archery, _please”_

Clint winked, “Sure thing babe”

“You’re a sick bastard”

“I’ll have you know my parents were married when I was born, thank you very much”

“Why in the hell are we friends?”

 

*****

It had been like three weeks, and Tony still couldn’t look at Clint in the same way as before. His boy had had _sex._ He was no longer a virgin. He was now a ‘man’, an adult with a girlfriend and a life – he was not the scared little boy that Tony and Steve had lovingly adopted. It was fucking terrifying. Where in the hell had the time gone? It seemed like just last week that Clint had first called him ‘Tony’ other than Mr. Stark, and god it felt like even less time that when Clint had first called him ‘Dad’.

“Tony!”

Tony blinked and looked over to where Steve was trying to get his attention, “Wuh? What’s wrong?”

Steve sighed, “Nothing. I’ve just been trying to get your opinion on what to order for dinner for the last 5 minutes. Where were you?”

Tony shook his head, “With Clint, where else?”

Steve’s eyes went soft and he looked at Tony, “Are you still freaking out about the incident? I thought out of the two of us, it would be _me_ to freak out about his first time”

Tony smiled softly and rolled his eyes, “You’re freaking out on the inside Stevie baby, I just know it….. Besides, I’m not really freaking out about the fact that he had sex. It’s more… Well…”

“He’s growing up to fast?”

“Yes!” Steve always got Tony, which was one of the things that had attracted the billionaire to the super soldier to begin with (well, besides that muscles and blue eyes that is), “That’s exactly what I’m freaking out about. I mean, Jesus! Steve, he’s going to be going to college in less than 2 years. How is that even believable?!”

Steve smiled, “Kids grow up fast Tony, and it’s the way of life unfortunately. But it’s not like he’s going to be gone forever, college is only for a couple of years – plus, he’s ours legally for all time.”

Tony hummed, “I know that, it’s just I don’t like how much time has gone. 3 years Steve. _3 years_ ”

Steve smiled, “Yes I can count babe. You’ll just have to get used to our boy growing up”

Tony scowled, “Yeah sure… But I don’t have to like it!”

“I’m not expecting you too”

“…. And I’m going to do a background check on that girlfriend of his”

Steve sighed, “Have fun with that babe. Now, do you want Chinese or sushi for dinner?”

 

*****

Phil’s right eye twitched minutely as he watched the younger couple twirl around the dance floor, his own date (Audrey) talking to the CEO of some fortune 500 company in the background.

Clint and Bobbi had been dating for 6 months, of Phil really couldn’t stand watching them anymore. The two had lasted far longer than most teenaged couples would, their 10th grade year almost over and done. Despite his own lengthy relationship with Audrey (one that had lasted even longer than their last go about), he still didn’t feel as satisfied in his life as he had when he and Clint had hung out. It was actually kind of pathetic how jealous he was and how much he pined for Clint’s presence. He was 28 fucking years old for Christ’s sake! He should be able to get over little crush, not to mention a crush on a _minor._

Feeling a hand brush his upper-arm, Phil blinked away his thoughts and looked over at Audrey. She smiled, “Wanna dance Phillip?”

Phil gave her a smile that felt incredibly fake, “I would love too”

 

*****

“I’ve lost you again, haven’t I?”

Clint blinked and looked down at Bobbi, “Huh?”

Bobbi sighed, “Clint, I swear some days you would rather be in a relationship with someone else.”

Clint frowned as he continued to waltz Bobbi across the dance floor, “What are you talking about baby?”

Bobbi rolled her eyes, “You’ve just been more distracted lately is all. It’s like I have to really try to get your attention half the time….”

Clint blinked “Oh… Jesus, I’m sorry”

Bobbi sighed again (She also did this a lot in Clint’s presence). “It’s okay Clint, I’m just… If this relationship isn’t what you want I would appreciate knowing….”

Clint pressed Bobbi closer to his chest, “No. This is a relationship I want, I’ll try to be better…”

Bobbi sighed and didn’t answer Clint. _Well that doesn’t bode well._

*****

Tony was in the lab with Bruce, tinkering on a new Iron Man prototype when he heard the yelling. It wasn’t the quiet kind of yelling that came from Natasha and Bucky, nor was it a loud debate that usually came from Thor and Jane when they fought (who knew Jane could get so angry? That girl had a _wicked_ punch in her too). No, this yelling was extremely loud and extremely angry, it sort of sounded like two teenag-

Tony closed his eyes and sighed, _shit. Clint and Bobbi are fighting._ Looking over at Bruce, the two scientists nodded at each other and stood in unison, abandoning their projects to go sort two hormone-ridded adolescents out.

When the two scientists arrived, Tony really wasn’t surprised to see the other team members congregating towards the shouting match too. If the kids were loud enough to echo through the whole damn tower, they needed to be helped _sooner_ rather than later.

 

*****

Clint really couldn’t believe Bobbi right now, he really couldn’t. “Are you fucking kidding me Bobbi?!”

Bobbi just glared at him, ignorant to the fact that several adults were coming up behind her, “No! I’m not fucking ‘kidding’ you Clint! I’m fucking pissed off!”

Clint clenched his teeth, “Do we have to do this here?”

Bobbi laughed. It wasn’t a very pretty laugh, and Clint knew then that he was extremely fucked. “Yes! We do have to do it _right here._ I’m fucking sick of this Clint! So yes, let’s duke it out right here in front of your family!”

Clint looked at her angrily, “What the fuck is your _issue?!”_

Bobbi gasped, “ _My_ issue?! Oh fuck you Clint Barton!” _Harsh. Using his old last name in an argument,_ “This is about _your_ issues!”

Clint blinked, “Okay what the fuck are you talking about?”

Bobbi gave the same laugh again, sounding almost hysterical “What am I talking about he says? I could fucking die. Jesus Christ Clint, I’m talking about you and your _bullshit._ Did I, or did I not tell you _3 months ago_ that if you didn’t want to be in this relationship to just _say_ so?”

Clint frowned, “Yeah you did but I don’t-“

Bobbi held up a hand, “Shut up.” Sighing, Bobbi seemed to calm down “Look Clint. It’s obvious that you’re in love with someone, but that someone isn’t me. I’m sick of being in a relationship where I’m only second best, and the person can’t even fucking _see_ it…”

Clint blinked and fell back a step “Bobbi… What… What are you talking about?”

Bobbi glared at Clint, “Clint. You’re fucking in love with that stupid Agent guy and I’m sick of your constant pining! I could be in a relationship with some stupid jock at my own school who cheats on me and I wouldn’t be wasting as much time by coming over here all the damn time”

Clint felt his hands clench, “I have _never_ fucking cheated on you Bobbi-“

Bobbi made an exasperated sound, “Goddamit Clint! This is why we need to just break up, you’re so fucking _oblivious._ I can’t take it!” Throwing up her hands, Bobbi faced the Avengers “You make him understand! _You_ guys are his family! I’m done!”

Before anyone could move, Bobbi was stomping out of the tower ignoring Clint’s shouts.

 

*****

Phil was waiting for the elevator to reach the ground floor of the Avengers Tower, incomplete after action reports all in a folder underneath his left arm. Humming softly, Phil gave himself a brief moment to let his thoughts drift over to a young male archer with blue eyes the color of the sky. He was drawn from his thoughts when the elevator door pinged and out stalked Miss Morse. She apparently wasn’t very happy to see him, her gaze turning stony as she brushed past him. Apparently the girl had a lot more muscle to her then Phil had anticipated, her ‘brush’ more like a boulder slamming into his side and knocking him back a couple of feet.

Frowning, Phil turned around “Miss Morse?”

The girl didn’t stop, but called from over her shoulder to him “He’s all yours! I’m done with him!”

… _Woah, wait…What?_

Frowning further, Phil got into the elevator and traveled up to the residential floors. Unknowingly walking into a shit storm.

 

*****

Tony watched Bobbi storm out of the tower before turning his gaze back to Clint. The boy looked wrecked, and Tony felt his heart clench in his chest. Stepping forward, Tony placed a gentle (but hesitant) hand on Clint’s shoulder, “Hey buddy”

Clint jolted out of whatever reverie he was in as he stared at the elevator Bobbi had just left in, and turned his gaze to Tony. “What?”

Tony sighed, “Sorry kid”

Clint blinked and turned his gaze back to the elevator before shrugging, “It’s okay. Used to it I guess…”

And there’s what Tony was afraid of. _God I hope he doesn’t get any more goddamn abandonment issues._

Tony hummed and moved his hand to Clint’s back, smiling when he watched Steve approach Clint’s other side “Well buddy… There’s plenty more fish in the sea”

Clint gave a short laugh and turned to look at Tony, “You and I both know that line is utter bullshit”

Tony shrugged as Steve placed his hand next to Tony’s on Clint’s back, “As bullshit as that line is, it still makes sense. There will be plenty more people after Bobbi, Clint. You’re still young, and sometimes that doesn’t always make people use correct judgment”

Clint sighed, “Yeah I know that…. I’m just more confused than anything. I mean, I remember this being an issue a couple of times in the past, but I never thought it was this big.”

Tony hummed, “Well… Were you looking at other guys and girls? Not to judge, looking is normal…”

Clint shook his head, “No I wasn’t…. I guess… I guess I just didn’t give her all the attention she needed.”

Steve hummed, “Well sometimes people need more attention than they say… That’s just a fact of life”

Clint sighed and relaxed into Steve and Tony’s arms “I’m more confused by that one comment though…”

Tony hummed, “Which one buddy?”

“The one about Coulson…”

The elevator doors opened, and out walked the damn man like he was psychic.

 

*****

Phil stepped off the elevator, and immediately became the focus of everyone’s gaze. “Hello team”

The team just stared at him, unflinching. Raising an eyebrow, Phil walked forward “I have unfinished reports, so if we’re going to waste time I would love to know the reason.”

Natasha was the first one to break, “Did you run into Bobbi Morse on the way up?”

Phil hummed, so there _was_ something wrong with her. “Yes I did. Why, what happened?”

“We broke up”

Spinning to face Clint, Phil took in the protective stance of Steve and Tony around his body. “Oh… I’m sorry to hear about that”

_No you’re not you liar._

Clint shrugged and stepped out of the comfortable embrace of his fathers, “Yeah it was kind of sudden”

Phil hummed and nodded, “Some are…..”

Bruce seemed to be the next one to break, “Did you say you had unfinished reports for us Phil?”

Phil nodded, “Yes.” Holding up the folder, Phil placed it on a nearby table “You all have until 1600 hours…”

Those words got the rest of the group to break, groans filling the air. Phil smiled in that bland way of his that made everyone underestimate him, making him so good at his job. “Yes I know it isn’t pleasant. Too bad you still have to do them”

Nodding to the team and to Clint, Phil began to make his way to elevator.

 

*****

Clint felt his emotions completely torn in pieces. He was confused, angry, emotionally exhausted, and now he now he couldn’t stop looking at Phil.

While he could have just gone back to the safe embrace of Tony and Steve as they did their paperwork, Clint instead turned away from the group and trotted off after Coulson, “Hey Coulson hold the elevator!”

Smiling to Coulson as the man kept his arm against the door, Clint slipped into the elevator next to him and ignored the looks of the team members as the doors shut closed.

“Are you trying to go after her?”

Clint looked over at Coulson, “Uhm… No, actually. I know Bobbi, and yeah… There’s gonna be no take-backsies. I was actually seeing if we could talk….. Or something…”

Clint watched as Coulson blinked and seemed to think it over in his head, coming to a decision quickly “Sure. Talking is fine….”

Clint smiled, “I’m starving. Let’s go get something to eat, my treat”

Phil looked like he wanted to argue, but only sighed instead.

_Score one for the Barton Rogers Stark._

 

*****

Phil sat across from Clint at a tiny hole-in-the wall diner not too far away from SHIELD HQ. The place was quiet in the middle of the day, the food a little greasy, but it made for perfect conversation with Clint. The boy had been mostly quiet while they had walked over to the diner and while they had been ordering (Phil wasn’t surprised by that at all in light of recent events), but picked up the conversation once they were served their drinks.

The conversation had started off a simply idle chit-chat, slowly devolving into Clint spewing out the last 9 months of his relationship with Bobbi “…So yeah anyway, before she left she mentioned something that just threw me off so bad and now I’m just so confused”

Phil frowned and leaned forward a bit, “What did she say”

Clint blushed, which Phil found curious, before speaking again “Well… She said, and I quote, ‘You’re fucking in love with that stupid Agent guy and I’m sick of your constant pining!’”

Phil blinked. Then he blinked again. “What?”

Clint sighed, “See that’s what I said! I was so confused by that because I just don’t _understand_ what she’s talking about… Though, I guess, she did say I was oblivious so there’s that…”

Phil sighed and swirled his straw in his drink, a tight feeling in his gut. “I…. I’m not really sure what she would be talking about either”

Clint sighed, “Did she say anything to you when she was leaving? You said that she passed by you on your way up to hand out homework”

Phil refused to roll his eyes at the term, but did look up at Clint “Well… She said, and I quote, ‘He’s all yours! I’m done with him!’ Which I thought peculiar at the time…”

Clint froze and looked at Phil, an astonished look on his face, “She… She actually said that to you”

Phil nodded, “She did, yes”

Clint blinked at Phil, his face closing off as their food finally came.

The conversation ended while they ate

 

~

Phil and Clint finished their meal without any further conversation, nor any indication that the topic of Bobbi would pick up again.

The walk back to the tower was mostly in silence too, the two not talking as they walked the busy New York streets.

It wasn’t until they were right across the street from the tower that Clint bothered to speak again, “Hey… Phil? Can we stop a second?”

Phil frowned, but did as he was asked. “Sure…. What’s wrong?”

Phil watched as Clint bit his lip, _stop with the inappropriate thoughts Phil_ and turned to face Phil completely.

“Okay… So… This may be way out of line or whatever”

Phil didn’t get a chance to ask what Clint was talking about before the younger boy’s lips were pressed against his own, Clint’s hands resting gently on his chest.

This was the exact moment where Phil’s brain fried completely.

 

*****

Clint couldn’t believe it, he really couldn’t. He had kissed Phil with the intentions of seeing just where his attraction lied, but he never expected to Phil to kiss back! Clint truly had expected the man to push Clint away and then tell his parents to keep him locked away forever. He was wrong, and holy fuck Clint had never been happier to be wrong in his _life._ _Holy fuck his lips are magic, god I hope he never lets go…_

Clint moaned softly as both he and Phil came to the mutual decision to deepen the kiss, Phil’s arms going around his waist the same moment his tongue invaded Clint’s mouth. They were in the middle of the goddamn sidewalk French kissing, and Clint didn’t have a care in the world.

Clint’s arms had managed to wind themselves around Phil’s neck, his fingers tangling in the hair at the back of Phil’s neck. Clint could hear the wolf-whistles of people passing by, but couldn’t give two shits – _Phil was kissing him!!_

 

*****

Phil felt like his entire body was lit by match, and his lips were the core of the flame. He had never thought after all these months of pining that he would _ever_ feel Clint’s lips against his own, let alone that it feel this good! Clint’s lips were soft against his own, his mouth a wet cavern that Phil’s tongue couldn’t help but explore (with a very adventurous Clint tongue fighting with his). Phil would have thought with how much Clint exercised that his body would be hard and chiseled, but instead Phil’s arms were surrounding a warm and pliable body. It was fucking heaven and Phil couldn’t get enough of it.

In fact, Phil was already rearranging his life as they continued the kiss. He could break up with Audrey, move around his work schedule, _hell_ he could even work with the illegal aspects of this affair. Phil could do it if Clint wanted it, and by the moans the boy was making, he wanted it.

Suddenly, a car horn sounded in the distance and Phil was brought back to real life. Wrenching himself away from Clint, Phil took about five steps back and just stared “Oh god Clint. **_No._** This can’t happen!”  
  


*****

Clint’s heart fractured when Phil broke out of the kiss, and then it broke in two when Phil told him no. Clint had really thought that Phil had been as attracted to Clint as Clint was to him. But no, Clint had been wrong again. _How can I be so **stupid** twice in one day? Goddamit…_

Gulping, Clint tried to take a step forward to Clint – his arms outstretched. “Phil…”

Phil jolted and stood up straight, his facing going into a bland mask “That’s…. That’s Coulson to you Clint”

Clint’s heart was then smashed to smithereens and before he could think logically, his legs had carried him away and into the traffic.

_I’m such a fucking idiot_

 

*****

Phil’s heart froze in his chest as Clint raced into the busy street, “CLINT NO!!”

Phil tried to follow Clint into the traffic, but he couldn’t see him as he seemingly disappeared. There was no major accident, so Phil knew that Clint hadn’t been hit. He just wasn’t sure where Clint _had_ gone to.

Phil gulped and called out for Clint again, and then a third time, trying to spot him in the crowds on either side of the road. That search was fruitless, and after ten minutes – he really began to worry. Phil knew that he had fucked up incredibly bad, but he had been extremely out of his element (not to mention a little out of his head with that kiss), Phil hadn’t accounted for Clint’s propensity for jumping into the _goddamn street._

Scrubbing at his face, Phil pulled his phone out of his pocket and called the one number that he knew would be his best option at finding Clint (no it wasn’t Clint. Clint never had his _goddamn phone)_

 

*****

Tony and the rest of the Avengers were working diligently on their paperwork (or as diligently the Avengers _could_ work on their paperwork that is), when they were interrupted by a loud ringtone resounding through the team kitchen.

Tony looked up and frowned as Natasha answered her phone, knowing that the ringtone was for Phil (the song _may_ be ‘Secret Agent Man’ and Tony _may_ have been the one to put it on there).

Natasha hummed, her body bending over the back of her kitchen chair in a stretch. “Romanoff”

Tony rolled his eyes and went back to his paperwork, only to jolt when she seemingly screeched (a very un-Natasha thing to do), “What?!”

The whole team had their attention on Natasha now as she stood up and began to pace around the room, “Phil. What the fuck did you _do?!”_

Tony began to feel worried, this must be something big if Natasha is worked up about it. Tony hoped this wasn’t an Avengers mission, Clint’s 17th birthday was in a couple of days and he _really_ didn’t want to miss it this year.

Natasha froze in the middle of the kitchen, her shoulders drooping. “Oh Phil…. No, no this isn’t your… Okay yes it may be…. No, _No._ Wait there, we’ll be right there”

 _We’ll?_ Tony mouthed the question first to himself before he looked at Steve and seemingly asked the same question without actually saying anything, Steve simply shrugged in answer as he watched Natasha hang up her phone.

Bucky looked at Nat, his brows coming together as he frowned “What’s wrong?”

Natasha clenched her fists and then looked straight at Tony and Steve, the worried expression freezing his whole body in fear, and Tony. He knew. He just knew that it had _something_ to do with Clint. “Clint ran away”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The line that Clint says in Russian is: For Fuck's sake Natasha, put her down she's with me.
> 
> (( You can prompt me if you wish for other fics, or for any ideas you may have about this fic at [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 17  
> Life Event: Barney and friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 7 chapters left, plus a teaser! Hope you're enjoying!

Clint had never thought that he could be so damn _stupid._ First he had thought that Coulson could actually be _attracted_ to him, then he had run away, and now he was in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, New York – and he had no way of contacting Tony or Steve.

He had been running away from his responsibilities (from Coulson to be exact) for three days, and now he regretfully remembered he was now 17. _It’s my birthday and I’m spending it alone, hungry, tired, and without my family. What the fuck is my life?_

Clint was in the middle of a cornfield, not so different from the one that he had grown up next to (and who would have thought that there would be farmland in Northern New York?) and as everything began to blur together, Clint began to full true hopelessness set into his bones.

“Man I’m fucked” Clint kept muttering to himself, over and over as he continued to stomp his way around the cornfield, not caring that he may be ruining some poor unfortunate farmer’s lively hood. _First my breakup with Bobbi, then my kiss fiasco with Coulson, now I’m stuck in a cornfield! What’s next? My brother suddenly rises from the fucking grave and gives me a ride?!_

Clint sighed at the tone of his thoughts and shook his head, negativity (though as comforting as it kinda was) would get him nowhere. Literally. He would literally get nowhere if he kept thinking about all the shit that went on in the past three days and stopping to have internal monologues about (and sometimes external rants to whatever bird happened to be circling overhead).

Clint sighed heavier once again as he watched the sun begin its descent, _shit I need to get somewhere safe before it hits nighttime or I am **seriously** fucked. _Closing his eyes, Hawk stuck out his arm and spun around in a circle several times before stopping. When he opened his eyes, he followed the direction that his arm had been pointing to and hoped for the goddamn best.

 

*****

“It has been 3 _goddamn_ days!!! Why can nobody find one teenager?”

Phil sighed heavily and rubbed at his forehead, downing the last gulp of his fourth coffee that morning (or was it fifth? Phil had lost track). Since Clint had run away from their kiss three days ago, it had seemed like he had gone completely off the map, and nobody could find him. Tony and Steve were almost near postal with worry and Phil was close to a breakdown himself.

When had his life become so fucked up? Well… Phil knew the answer to that better than anyone besides Fury, but up until this point at least he knew what was happening most of the time. Ever since the Avengers and Clint Francis Barton Rogers Stark had come into his life, Phil has been put through the washing machine and spit out into Wonderland. He never knew what was up or down or left or right, and truthfully he was sick of it. He was almost 30 goddamn years old, and he was acting like a teenager with his first unpermitted crush.

Phil sighed again and wished he had another cup of coffee in front of him. He may have been the one that had goofed everything up, despite his best intentions, but the least he deserved was some _coffee._

 

*****

Clint’s stupid game of ‘eenie meenie Minnie Moe’ had apparently paid off, and before nightfall could set in, he was at a road. Clint didn’t know how his luck had actually worked on that one, but trusting that he didn’t really want to know, Clint decided to just go with the flow. He reached the road within a half-hour of his one-ditch effort of a sense of direction, and almost kissed the ground in gratitude. Standing next to concrete haven, however, Clint came to the conclusion that it wasn’t by the looks of it a very important road, but it was a road that lead to places, and goddamit Clint was going to follow it.

Stepping onto the asphalt, Clint could still feel the slight warmth of the sun-light road permeate through his shoes and up into his body as he began to walk right (hopefully that was south and he could try and find his way back home). Wrapping his arms around his body, Clint prepared for the incoming cold of the moon and reflected upon how much his life had changed. At one point in time, shit like this had been normal to him, a sense of home to his young mind. Now, after being so perfectly spoilt by the richest man in the world and his band of superheroes, the cold and loneliness cut like a knife. It was almost surreal to be feeling this after escaping his temperature controlled room and AI technology that could get him everything he wanted. Clint wished he could say that he liked the feeling of going back to his roots, but he didn’t. He hated his roots and wished that they had never happened, that he had never felt this feeling before. But he had, and sometimes it had been worse than it was now, Clint could deal with this for just a little while until he found shelter. He would have to.

 

*****

Tony Stark was getting extremely jittery, the kind of jittery that came after too much caffeine and little to no sleep for an extended time period. Usually Tony only got like this when the memories were too much to bear, when not even Steve’s arms holding him could keep in the nightmares, and Tony would retreat to his lab to forget and forget and forget. But no, this time the nightmares were completely real. His baby boy was missing, and if they didn’t find him by tomorrow the cops were calling it. Since it was a ‘runaway’ case, and not a kidnapping, the cops didn’t care about rich-boy Stark’s offspring floating around New York and getting hurt. Tony could kinda understand that, they had so many other cases that were more important, and Clint could handle himself, but Tony just…. Just couldn’t stop worrying.

Whenever he had seen something on the TV before Clint about a kid being murdered or kidnapped or even a school shooting, Tony had felt a small pang of sympathy and not much else. They weren’t his kids, so why should he care? But now, now that he had been a father for the better part of almost five years, Tony understood. Tony understood the fear and the pain that those parents felt, and _god_ did it fucking suck.

“Tony? Come on, we’ve tried hard enough today – you need sleep or you won’t be any good for tomorrow”

Turning his head, Tony looked over at Steve watching him anxiously from the doorway of the lab. Tony gave Steve a crooked smile and tried to not show his fears, Tony knew Steve had his own demons to fight. Technically, they all did really. They all were facing some nasty-ass internal demons while Clint was out there missing. If was kinda sad from Tony’s perspective (read: it was fucking sad), how so many grown adults could be reduced to almost children afraid of the boogeyman within a few short days. The entire team had gone about the tower like ghosts, only going back into their former shells when trying to find new information about where Clint could have gone.

“Yeah, I could probably sleep some. Devine intervention is gonna happen anytime soon, so might as well”

Tony felt a little pang in his chest when Steve gave him a relief-ful smile and took his hand to lead him back to their bedroom.

_God kid, please come back home to me – I miss you so fucking much. This tower isn’t the same without you in it_

 

*****

Clint hadn’t been able to make it some place safe by nightfall. He had tried his best, truly he had – but lethargy and hunger had set in before he knew it. He had walked for a couple of hours down the road, but hadn’t come across anything that could be used as a safe place to sleep (or to get some food for his empty stomach). Clint settled on his plan B option, and climbed a tree that looked free of critters and holed up on one of the sturdier branches. It wasn’t the most comfortable place Clint had ever slept (Tony and Steve’s bed, holy _shit_ that motherfucker was nice), nor was it the worst place he had ever slept (the circus was a scary place) – so Clint got a somewhat moderately goodnight’s sleep.

He awoke to the sun rising the next morning, and somewhere he could faintly hear a rooster crowing out his alarm for the farmers to rise and fucking shine. Clint sighed as he watched the sun ascend into the sky, and despite his emotions over missing his family, he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the sun-rise was. It was pink and orange, and the morning had a nice cool breeze to it that didn’t make him feel _too_ cold. All in all, Clint felt like today could possibly be a good day for him. Today could possibly the day he was able to find his way back home to his family.

Clint was right about the family, wrong about everything else…

 

*****

Phil woke up the morning of the fourth day of searching for Clint, and felt a small sense of urgency fill him. If they didn’t find Clint today, the cops would officially stop helping to look for Clint, and their resources would be cut down by half. Usually this wouldn’t bother Phil, he had everything he needed at SHIELD and the police were never usually needed, but for this case – with Clint’s previous background, the Avengers needed all the manpower they could get to find their wayward archer and bring him home.

Going about his morning routine, Phil found himself constantly distracted (and ashamed) by the mere thought of Clint and the kiss that they shared four days ago. Phil could still feel the taste of Clint on his lips, and had never felt more the pervert. Clint had been 16 years old, and despite him being the one to initiate the kiss, Phil should have seen it coming and put a stop to it like the adult he was supposed to be. When (hopefully when, god willing it was when and not if) the Avengers found Clint, Phil knew that he would have to take the boy aside and explain a few things to him. Explain how Phil had wanted the kiss very much (very, _very_ much), but until Clint was at a legal age of consent (and in the right mind and hormonal to consent), the relationship between the two men would have to be merely platonic (and if they couldn’t do that, it would have to be from a distance).

Phil arrived at the Avengers Tower without really knowing how he got there, his mind to addle to think clearly about anything else besides Clint and what he would say when they first saw each other again. He arrived amidst chaos, not unusual for the Avengers in a time of crisis, and set about trying to get everything in order.

Organization, organization was something Phil was good at. Organizing things can take his mind of Clint, could make him think clearly. Yes, that’s all Phil needed. Organization…. And coffee. _Coffee good, distractions bad. Coffee **very** good, distractions bad, bad, bad. _

 

*****

Clint had walked for what seemed like ages before a hunger pang hit his stomach so strong that Clint doubled over, clutching at his muscles in a pathetic attempt to get the pain to stop. Clint was keeled over on the ground, his head against the road and his butt in the air as he tried so hard to stop the hunger cramps, (Clint had seen Jane’s assistant Darcy do this whenever she had her period and was at the tower, and unconsciously did it himself when the first clench hit).

Clint had to sit there and squirm for a few minutes, but eventually the pain eased and he was able to stand once again. He was very tentative in first hundred steps or so, only growing bolder when the pain didn’t begin again immediately. Within 300 steps or so, Clint was back to his normal powerwalk, and was well on his way to finding his way back home (or at least he hoped so).

And that’s when he saw the car driving down the road. Clint felt his eyes widen, and stepping into the road Clint began to wave his arms wildly about, “Hey! Hey, stop! I need help!!!”

 

*****

Tony and Steve were standing side-by-side in front of the huge Stark Monitor that took center-stage in one of his bigger labs. The two men were combing through all the images that had matched the descriptions of Clint, and so far, they had far diddly squat. Tony had seen about a hand-ful that could possibly be Clint, but the images were just too blurry for Tony or Steve to positively ID their boy. Steve hadn’t found any more luck than Tony, and the pressure was beginning to get to them.

“THAT’S IT!” Tony burst out, his hands coming out to shove all the papers laid out in front of them off the table, “I CAN’T TAKE IT! IT’S TOO MUCH!”

Steve turned his exhausted eyes to Tony, his hands coming up to grasp at Tony’s wrists, “Tony. Calm down. It’s okay, shhh, everything is gonna be okay”

Tony looked at Steve with wild eyes, “Is that what you know? Huh? That everything is gonna be okay?!” Tony tried wrenching his wrists from Steve’s grasps, “Well you can go fuck yourself! Our son is missing, could possibly be dead for all we know, and you say it’s OKAY?! FUCK YOU STEVE, LET ME GO!!!”

Steve didn’t let go of the grip on Tony’s wrists, instead he tightened them and reeled Tony into his chest, wrapping his arms around Tony’s frame and squeezing tight, “I need to be strong right now Tony, and having faith allows me to be strong. Can you be strong for me Tony? Can you be strong so I can be strong? I know its hard baby, god it’s so hard not knowing what’s happening to Clint… But… I just need you to stay calm, please. For me”

Tony uselessly hit his fists against Steve’s chest during his speech, but eventually crumpled against him and started to cry soundlessly. It was all so unfair, why did the world have to be so unfair? Tony just wanted everything back the way it was a week ago, why couldn’t he just have a week ago?

Steve continued to hold Tony against his chest, cooing out soothing words and pressing kisses to the genius’s hair while they swayed back and forth until Tony calmed down. Tony eventually relaxed against Steve’s chest completely and pressed a soft kiss to his collarbone. It was a small symbol, an ‘I’m not okay but I will be’ kind of symbol. Tony and Steve had been giving each other those kind of symbols since the day they first met.

It may not have helped in the grand scheme of things in the ‘Where the hell was Clint?’ search, but it sure did bring both of them some goddamn peace of mind.

 

*****

Phil had his computer open and was currently clicking, one by one, through images that had matched Clint’s description. This job would have been boring and below his level as a Senior Agent, but truthfully, Phil found it comforting being able to help find Clint. To control how the investigation was going with his own hands as he searched image by image for his beloved… for the team’s beloved archer.

Okay, so maybe it was still a _little_ boring, the human mind can only focus on one thing for so long before it begins to wander off a bit. Currently, Phil was thinking about Clint’s lips again (despite his firm promise to himself _not_ to think about Clint’s lips). So, Phil hadn’t a clue about what he had actually seen in his peripheral until his brain clicked back into gear and he had to scroll back about 30 or so pictures.

Squinting, Phil zoomed into the picture and picked out the image that had struck his eye so vividly. When he realized whom the pictures was of, Phil’s eyes widened.

If Phil hadn’t been as good as an agent as he was, the image would have meant next to nothing to him, just another cast-off that wasn’t Clint. But Phil knew who this was, Phil had done his research many times over, and this… This wasn’t good.

Shooting up out of his seat, Phil saved the picture to his phone and sent out a mass-text to the entire team.

                                                            ~ _We have a big problem~_

 

*****

Clint waved as hard as he could at the oncoming car, hoping that he would get their attention and that they would stop for him. Smiling gratefully, Clint felt relief when the car began to slow to a stop about 20 yards from where has was standing, stopping about 10 feet from him in the end.

Clint couldn’t see who the driver was, but whoever they were, they must be some sort of farmer/ranch hand. The car they were driving was a beat-up truck that had its glory days around the 1980s, and had a wide bed at the back used mostly for hauling things around if Clint guessed correctly.

Smiling wider, Clint waved excitedly to the person as the car door opened, and one jean-clad leg stepped out.

“Thank you so much for stopping! I’m so sorry to flag you down, but I’m really lost and I kinda need to use your cellphone to call my parents if that wouldn’t be too much to ask…”

Clint waited for the driver to speak, “I would help brat, but see…. Our parents are dead”

Clint felt his heart turn to ice as the driver of the truck came into full-view, his jaw dropped as he literally witnessed a dead-man walking.

The illusion (or what Clint hoped was an illusion, because hallucinations at this point were better than reality) smirked and Clint and leaned up against the truck’s driver-side, “Hey little brother”

Clint frowned and opened his mouth, “ _B-!_ ”

 

*****

“ _Barney?!_ ”

Phil sighed at the shocked look on Tony and Steve’s faces, “Yes. Barney Barton, Clint’s assumedly deceased piece of shit brother”

Tony scrubbed at his face hard, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! This is _bullshit_! I.. I don’t believe this!”

Steve copied Phil’s sigh and wrapped an arm around Tony’s waist, “Just because Clint’s brother is alive and spotted in New York, doesn’t mean that the two have had contact, or that Barney has stolen Clint from us. In fact, it’s probably a total coincidence”

Phil looked at the picture of the brunette male, a man with hardened features that looked just like Clint in so many ways, and yet so different at the same time. Phil guessed that Clint would have those same hard features in his face and body too if he had worked the same scene as Barney instead of being adopted by Tony and Steve.

“Truthfully Steve, though I hate to agree with Tony, there are no coincidences at S.H.I.E.L.D….. If Barney is in New York, it’s for a reason….”

Tony growled softly, “Then we need to squash the ant before it feeds on the picnic”

Steve blinked, “Tony how much coffee have you had in the past couple of hours?”

“…. Like a lot… Why?”

Steve sighed, “Time for bad, you’re making god-awful analogies again”

Phil rolled his eyes and turned his own gaze back to the screen and Charles Bernard Barton.

 

*****

Clint couldn’t believe his goddamn eyes, “ _Barney?!_ ”

Barney smirked and walked over to Clint, swooping him up into a bone-crushing hug, “Nice to see you little man, how have you been?”

Clint felt like his whole body was under lockdown, staring blankly at Barney, Clint couldn’t hold in his shock “But... You... I … _you’re supposed to be dead_ ”

Barney snorted and rolled his eyes, dropping Clint to the ground, “I only pretended to be dead to get those mafia people off my back, and you know how it is….”

Clint shook his head, “No Barney, I _don’t_ know how it is… Jesus Christ! I thought when I had gotten word that you were dead from Tony, I thought I had _finally_ gotten rid of my past”

Barney growled and raised his hand, only pausing when Clint didn’t flinch. “Guess old pops ain’t affecting you no more…. But you shouldn’t be too attached to that cushy life you have now, not when you have me.”

Clint looked at his brother, “Are you….? No! I have a family back at the tower, I’m not going with you!”

Clint began to walk again, brushing past Barney but was stopped when a hand grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him upwards.

“You little shit, you think you can ignore your own flesh and blood? Fucking rich people making you ignore your roots”

Clint thrashed against Barney’s hold, and eventually got out of it (if not his shirt) “ _Tony_ and _Steve_ aren’t rich people. They’re my parents! And _they_ didn’t make me ignore my roots, you and dad and mom and Trick and Swordsman did that!”

Barney got this look on his face when Clint said that, the kind of look that Clint and Barney’s dad got on _his_ face when Clint had knocked over his whiskey bottle and broke it. It was a face of true rage, and Clint knew that he was about to see something he had thought he had left behind.

“So” Barney spat out. “You want to blame your real family for your whole life do you?”

Clint shook his head, “That’s not what I said-”

“SHUT UP!” Barney roared in Clint’s face. Picking Clint up by his arm, Barney threw Clint into the truck and watched him crumple to the ground. “You wanna blame the people who took care of you, that’s fine with me. Why don’t we just add to the list, hmmm?”

Clint looked up at Barney and tried to speak, but was stopped by a boot slamming into his face.

And then there was darkness.

*****

Tony paced in front of the computer screen, waiting for JARVIS to tell him that all the information of Charles Bernard Barton had loaded up on the screen.

_If that bastard lays one hand on Clint’s head, I’m fucking blasting the kid’s ass into hell where he belongs._

Tony spun around when the computer dinged and pulled up the file that was on the screen.

 

_**Barton, Charles Bernard.** _

_**Date of Birth: June 16, 1995** _

_**Date of Death: December 10, 2013** _

_**Family:** _

_**Harold Barton (father) – Deceased** _

_**Date of Birth: February 6, 1960** _

_**Date of Death: October 10, 2005** _

_**Edith Lilian Barton nee Carter (mother) – Deceased** _

_**Date of Birth: April 12, 1965** _

_**Date of Death: October 10, 2005** _

_**Clinton Rogers Stark nee Barton (Brother)** _

_**Date of Birth: October 13, 2001** _

_**Date of Death: N/A** _

_**Body Descriptions:** _

_**Hair Color: Brown** _

_**Eye color: Blue** _

_**Height: 6’1”** _

_**Weight: 210 lbs.** _

_**Identifying marks: Scar on right cheek** _

_**Known Aliases: Barney Barton, Trickshot** _

_**Previous jobs: Carson’s Traveling Circus** _

_**Known Previous Residences: 1022 Southwest Road; Waverly, Iowa. Waverly Home for Boys. Carson’s Traveling Circus.** _

_**Known Crimes Committed: Petty theft, petty Larson, vehicular theft, breaking and entering.** _

 

Tony sighed, he knew he wasn’t going to get anything out of the information, but he had hoped for at least something. Looking at the date, Tony growled as the team hit their 5th day of trying to find Clint. The cops had officially pulled out of the search last night, and now they were on their own. Finding out where Barney lived would be hard, but nothing that Tony hadn’t handled before – he just had to dig a little deeper. _Goddamit Clint, you and your love of Disney movies. Now I’m quoting the damn things._

 

*****

Clint came awake slowly, unaware of his surroundings and what the fuck had happened before hand. The last thing he remembered was seeing Barney again, and _oh._ Oh no.

Sitting up too quickly, Clint held in the nausea as he looked around the room. Scrubbing at his eyes, Clint took in his surroundings. He was in some sort of basement by the looks of it. The ground below him was cold and the walls were wet, across the room from him were shelves full of old Knick knacks that, for some reason, looked eerily familiar. Shifting slightly, Clint froze when he heard the jingle of metal against metal and felt something tighten against his wrist. Looking down, Clint sighed when he realized that he was chained against the damn wall.

_Oh, if you ever let me out Barney, you’re fucking **dead.**_

Clint closed his eyes and thunked his head against the wall, uncaring that it shot pain through his temples. Squeezing his eyes tight, Clint tried to stop the tears that were beginning to build up at the mere thought of never seeing Tony and Steve and Nat and Bucky and Bruce and Betty and Thor and Jane and Darcy and Ian and Kate and Cou- _Phil_ again.

Clint’s eyes shot open when he heard a door slam open and up against the wall. Turning his gaze towards the direction of the noise, Clint watched as someone (probably his dickwad of a brother) descend the creaky stairs slowly.

Each creek made Clint’s right eye twitch and his head throb, the vibration shooting through his brain and making him nauseous. Clint felt his eyes close again as he tried to stop the pain, and began to reflect that maybe the knock to his head had caused a concussion because suddenly, he was hearing several creaks happen at different intervals, despite his brother almost being at the bottom of the stairs.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t our favorite student”

“Sure is”

Clint sucked in a breath, that wasn’t the voice of his brother. Neither of those voices were his brother. _Fuck, I am so screwed._

*****

Phil sighed as he looked over the information that Tony had sent onto his tablet, and compared them with anything SHIELD had to offer.

He couldn’t find anything on Barney Barton or his current whereabouts, for all intents and purposes – the kid was dead. Phil sighed, whoever had trained Barney was good, and now so was Barney. But, Phil was better, he just had to find the connection to everything.

Clicking up another folder, Phil began to reread everything he could on Clint.

 

    _**Stark, Clinton Francis Barton Rogers**_

_**Date of Birth: October 12, 2001** _

_**Family:** _

_**Harold Francis Barton (Father) - Deceased** _

_**Date of Birth: February 6, 1960** _

_**Date of Death: October 10, 2005** _

_**Edith Lilian Barton nee Carter (Mother) - Deceased** _

_**Date of Birth: April 12, 1965** _

_**Date of Death: October 10, 2005** _

_**Charles Bernard Barton (brother) – Deceased** _

_**Date of Birth: June 16, 1995** _

_**Date of Death: December 10, 2014** _

_**Anthony Edward Stark (adopted father)** _

_**Date of Birth: May 31, 1975** _

_**Date of Death: N/A** _

_**Steven Grant Rogers (adopted father)** _

_**Date of Birth: July 8, 1920** _

_**Date of Death: ~~September 11, 1942~~** _

_**Date of Death: N/A** _

_**Body Descriptions:** _

_**Hair Color: Blond** _

_**Eye Color: Blue** _

_**Height: 5’10”** _

_**Weight: 180 lbs.** _

_**Identifying marks: Scars covering both arms, legs, and back.** _

_**Known Aliases: Clint Barton, Hawkeye** _

_**Previous Jobs: Carson’s Traveling Circus** _

_**Known Previous Residences: 1022 Southwest Road; Waverly, Iowa. Waverly Home for Boys. Carson’s Traveling Circus. Avengers Tower; New York City, New York.** _

_**Known Crimes Committed: Petty theft, petty Larson, breaking and entering. [All expunged]** _

 

Phil frowned, the information was extremely limited. It also wouldn’t give Phil any insight on how to find where Clint may be. Sitting up in his seat, Phil sighed as they reached day 7 and looked at Clint’s history that SHIELD had dug up when Stark and Steve had adopted the boy.

The file was much bigger than what the system had on Clint, and gave a bit more information on his… bad days, if Phil was to put it politely.

Phil knew that Clint didn’t like to talk about what happened before he lived with the Avengers, the one and only time he had freely discussed anything was the first day that Tony had brought him to the tower. Frowning, Phil flipped open the file and tried to remember who used to train Clint, remembering that Barney had been in leagues with them in stealing from the circus.

Finding what he was looking for, Phil hummed and began to look up all he could on one Buck Chisholm, and one Jacques Duquesne.

 

*****

Clint hissed as Buck undid the handcuffs and forcefully dragged him to a standing position. “Nice to see you again punk, has the hoity-toity life treating you?”

Clint sneered at Buck and growled softly, “Just fine. How’s being a low-life criminal going for you?”

Buck laughed and took a step back to be in line with Jacques, “Pretty good kid, pretty good. Made a 100gs in our last gig, but that’s probably a spit in the bucket to you now…”

Jacques rolled his eyes, “Enough with the petty talk Buck, the boy is obviously not going to respond very well to you”

Clint smirked, “Good job Jack you found me out”

Jacques turned to Clint, “You little miscreant! What did I tell you about using my name _properly?!_ ”

Clint shrugged his shoulders, “Don know, you beat me so much I forgot…. Guess it wasn’t important”

Clint tensed as he saw Jacques face go red, he knew he was about to get the shit knocked out of him. “ _You little shit! I’ll show you a beating!!”_

Clint closed his eyes and turned his head, readying himself for the hit that would inevitably come. But it didn’t. Clint opened his eyes and blinked when he saw Barney restraining Jacques.

“You can’t hurt him too much Sword, otherwise we ain’t gonna get jackshit for him”

Jacques growled at Barney but eventually calmed down and stood back, “Vous avez de la chance que nous avons besoin de l'argent que vous petit bâtard”

Clint sighed, _so it’s a ransom they’re after… Jesus, they’re fucking idiots._

“You guys are really going to try and get a ransom off of me?”

Barney sneered as he looked at Clint, “You’re rich daddy would be willing to pay as much as we want to get his precious little Clint back…”

Clint sighed, “You guys are underestimating them…. Jesus, I’m glad I ran away”

Buck snorted, “So are we, you always were too good for us… But now, you’ll be good for us. I like to think that it’s good karma finally coming to us”

Clint rolled his eyes, _and you have some bad karma about to whoop your ass. And its name is The Avengers._

 

*****

Phil had found the jackpot, and the missing link that he had been searching for. Grabbing the folder, Phil all but ran into the lab that Tony was in and called for all the Avengers to meet him there.

Tony and Steve were already in the room when Phil got there, and both shot to a standing position when they saw the state that he was in.

“Did you find him?!”

Phil smiled, “I think I have. Wait until everyone gets here and we’ll start our plan of attack”

 

~

Tony literally fell back into Steve’s arms at Phil’s news, (Steve will insist on calling it a swoon). This was the best news he had heard all week!

Luckily, the rest of the team slid into the lab within seconds of Phil’s announcement, and off they began.

 

~

Phil tapped out a few things on Tony’s keyboard and swung the information up onto the screen for everyone to see.

“At first I wasn’t finding anything on Clint or Barney, so I had to widen my search” Tapping on one of the images, Phil brought it forward and zoomed in. “So I began to look into Clint’s old mentors, Buck Chisholm and Jacques Duquesne”

The picture that Phil brought up was a little old, probably taken sometime around 2010. It showed the two men standing side-by-side with the two young boys, Clint and Barney, standing in front of them. “The search originally led me nowhere, until I found an old address of Chisholm’s”

“Okay yeah, this is great Phil, but what the fuck does this do to help us?”

Phil sighed and turned around, looking Stark in the eye “It helps us because, the old address of Chisholm’s just happens to be the address where Barney and Clint used to live”

 

*****

Clint was brought upstairs and now he knew why everything had looked so familiar in the basement. _This is the goddamn farm Barney and I grew up in!_

Clint thrashed against Barney and Buck who were carrying up the stairs, but to no luck – they were stronger than him, and the hunger/fatigue was making him too weak to fight back.

He was thrown onto the couch, and Clint coughed as dust flew into his nostrils and mouth. Apparently no one had been in this house for years.

“Guess you recognize where we are little brother, looks just the same, don’ it?”

Clint sat up slowly and looked around, yes, it did look _exactly_ the same as before. There was even the dent in the wall where Clint’s father had thrown his mother and she had cracked the wall with her torso. Clint remembered being really scared of the noise, and for the first time being the one that _wasn’t_ being looked at when his mother took him to the hospital with her to get it checked out. Clint remembered she had said that she had slipped on a dishrag and gone flying into the wall, Clint also remembered the doctor trying _really_ hard not to argue with her about it.

Clint sighed and looked over at the trio of men, “They’re going to rip you limb from limb you know. They don’t like anybody hurting me, and I know they don’t like you three”

Jaques sniffed, “Well good thing they’ll never find us, we were very careful about how we set everything up. They will be getting a call from an unmarked phone in about 20 minute’s time”

Clint sighed again, _they just don’t understand._

“You guys are stupid”

Clint got smacked real hard for that one, he tried not to vomit.

 

*****

The Avengers were about to set out to suit up for the trip to Clint’s old address when JARVIS came over the speakers, “Sir. You have a call coming in”

Tony frowned, “Go ahead and answer it Jarv”

“Very well sir”

There was a blank noise that came over the loud-speaker, kind of like the sound that your TV makes when the signal goes out and the screen goes black and white. A voice followed the noise, it was a robotic voice. Kinda like someone had typed the words into google translate and then pressed the phone to a speaker. “ _Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, we have your son. If you wish to ever see him again, give us 1 million dollars by the end of the day tomorrow. The account number is 3321112, and we **will** be watching. Have a good day”_

Tony froze, and then breathed out “JARVIS where did this call come from”

“It was an unmarked phone sir, just outside of New York”

Steve frowned, “Should we try and follow it? Maybe that’s where they have Clint”

Coulson shook his head, “No don’t. That’s just a ruse to get us off their trail, if you want to check that out we send a beta team while we go to the house.”

Tony nodded, “That plan. I like that one. Now, let’s go. I’m not paying a million dollars to people stupid enough to steal my son away from me”

 

*****

Phil strapped into the quinjet and took the wheel in his hands, playing co-pilot to Natasha because Steve’s nerves were too frazzled for piloting.

Tony was in the suit flying past them, and Phil knew that he would get there way before the jet did. Phil just hoped he wouldn’t kill anyone before they arrived and he also sincerely hoped that Clint was going to be okay/was okay.

The flight would have taken a normal plane about 4 hours to get there, but with the advanced system and Nat’s rage, they landed 10 miles away from the farm in just over 2 hours.

Tony was already waiting on the ground for them, and Phil was actually surprised that he hadn’t stormed ahead.

The entire team stepped out of the plane in full fight-gear, and began to make the trek towards the house. Tony had wanted to land the plane right in front of the farm and scare the shit out of the men inside, but Phil and Steve had vetoed in favor of a sneak attack. Much better when working with people who underestimated your power.

 

~

The walk from the jet to the house took way over an hour, and that was with Tony and Thor flying the other team members a couple yards ahead at a time. It was time consuming, but needed for what they were doing. The jumps were just enough in length that the walk wasn’t too far, but just little enough that the men in the house didn’t see them.

Tony was close to exhaustion by the time that got close to the house, ready to just grab his kid and go the fuck home.

Tony and the team crouched around the porch of the house and looked into the window discreetly.

There Clint was, sitting on a decaying couch as three men circled him. Tony recognized them as Clint’s brother and his two mentors. _Good, so it **was** them. Jesus, they’ve already put the kid through so much – now they have to kidnap and ransom him too?!_

Clint himself looked gaunt. His eyes were sunken in and he looked pale as hell. Tony was ready to murder someone as Clint began to shake softly, almost like he was too scared to let anyone see him do it. Though, he probably was too scared to let them see him shake – who knew what they would do if they saw a sign of weakness in Clint?

When the skinnier man, Jacques Duquesne if Tony was correct (he was), turned to Clint and began to speak, that’s when Tony had had enough and looked to Coulson and Steve to see if he could go in.

Steve was going to nod Coulson shook his head, gesturing for neither of them to go in. Tony was about to argue when Coulson smirked and nodded to Natasha walking around the building. Tony watched her face, and knew that sending her in was _definitely_ the right choice.

Tony matched his smirk and slid his way over to Steve closer to the door. Tony may want to rip these men limb from limb, but Natasha was a _much_ better fit for the job.

 

*****

Clint was fading in and out of consciousness the more time grew on, the hunger gnawing at his insides and making him loopy.

Buck, Barney, and Jacques were all talking over his head in loud voices. If Clint had been more with it he would have tried to focus in on the conversation, but he was just so _tired._ The last thing he had actually paid enough attention to listen to was that Tony and the Avengers hadn’t put in the million dollars yet. He kind of tuned out after that and was currently thinking about what pizza would taste like after almost starving to death, _it must take like heaven…_

Turning his head slowly, Clint caught something out of the corner of his eye. It was figure that was moving swiftly around the building, and that figure had bright red hair. _Natasha._

Clint tried his best to hide his smile, but must have been too tired because he didn’t succeed.

“What in the hell you smiling at punk?” Buck asked harshly.

Clint hummed, “Just saw a spider. Think it was a black widow…”

Barney shook his head, “Rich people made you nuts”

Clint nodded, “Yeah. Yeah they did”

Clint flopped over to the side right as the gun-shots began to ring out.

 

*****

Phil and the rest of the gang burst down the door to the place and ran inside as shots began. Phil looked and noticed with relief that Clint was staying low on the couch.

“Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD, stand down and you won’t be hurt!”

Phil ducked as a shot rang past his head, and raised his gun to shoot. Phil smiled as a screech came after the shot, and he saw Chisholm go down clutching his knee. _One down, two to go._

Barney was taken out with Steve’s shield, his nose crunching as it knocked him into the wall. _Two down, one to go._

Jacques was still standing somehow, dodging and fighting with incredible speed. Phil was just aiming his gun to shoot again when Jaques fell face first into the carpet. Frowning, Phil stood up and noticed Clint holding a block of wood. _Ah, that explains that._

 

*****

Tony rushed forward as soon as the battle was done and crushed Clint in his arms, “You ever do that to me, I’ll kill you.”

Clint smiled at him, “That’s cool dad but you’re suffocating me”

Tony let Clint go, but only because Steve was there to send him into a crushing hug, “Why do you only call me dad when you’re about to be grounded?”

Clint laughed weakly, “Don’ know…. But is it okay if I pass out now?”

Tony didn’t get a chance to say yes because not a second later, Clint was out cold in Steve’s arms.

Tony walked over to Steve, “Jesus he looks pale. You think he’s had anything to eat since he ran away?”

Steve shook his head, “No I don’t. We need to get him home as soon as possible”

Tony nodded and turned to Phil. Phil just shook his head, “You two go home. The rest of us will stay here to get these three” Phil gestured to the groaning men “into custody and meet you back at the tower”

Tony smiled at Phil and left with Steve and Clint, not needing to be told twice that he could go home.

 

*****

Clint was in heaven. Pizza heaven. Clint may be grounded tomorrow, but Tony and Steve were more than happy to smother him in love and pizza today.

Clint had three pepperoni pizzas to himself and the kitchen was lined with all sorts of other types for when the Avengers came back from putting Barney, Jaques, and Buck into custody.

Clint hadn’t eaten over 10 slices of pizza before his stomach began to feel moderately full. Clint had also chugged down about 10 glasses of water (after Steve insisting that soda didn’t substitute for water because he was _dehydrated_ ). Clint only slowed down after his 15th piece of pizza when the other Avengers returned to the tower.

Clint waved to Natasha and Bucky as he shoved another piece of pizza in his mouth.

Bucky snorted, “You’re Steve’s kid alright. Pizza was the only thing I ever saw him scarf down like nobody’s business…”

Steve’s rolled his eyes from where he was sitting next to Clint (with Tony on his other side, and if Clint had bothered to really analyze it he would have realized they were boxing him in). “Don’t listen to him Clint, Bucky used to eat more pizza than I did”

Bucky scoffed, “Like hell I did!”

Steve rolled his eyes again and mouthed to Clint, ‘So did’

Clint just laughed and tried not to choke on the pizza he was eating.

Natasha sighed and slapped Clint hard on the back, “This is why you two should be banned from the kitchen. This is the third time Clint has almost choked on his food around you two!”

Both Steve and Bucky, at the exact same time, turned to Natasha and looked at her with the exact same shocked expression. “It’s not our fault we’re funny!”

Clint choked on another bite of his pizza.

 

*****

Phil was glad to get back to his regularly scheduled programming. As much as looking for Clint had done him good, going back to normal was much better. But he still needed to have that talk with Clint. The longer he waited, the more Clint would think that it was _his_ fault, and that Phil didn’t actually want him.

Taking a deep breath, Phil sent a text to Clint asking him to come to Phil’s office. Phil didn’t get a reply in return, but 20 minutes later there was knock on his door.

Phil gulped, “Come”

The door opened and Clint peeked his head in, “You uh… Wanted to see me?”

Phil nodded, “We need to talk. Why don’t you take a seat…?”

 

~

Clint gulped and walked into Coulson’s office, closing the door behind him. Clint had been wondering why Coulson had asked to see him as he walked over to SHIELD from the tower, completely unsure of what was going to happen once he got there.

Sitting down on the couch across from the desk, the couch that he had considered his a year ago, Clint looked at Coulson “So…. What did you want to talk about?”

Coulson stood up and walked around his desk to sit on the edge closest to Clint, “The kiss”

Clint tensed up his shoulders as he looked down at the ground, “Right…. That”

Coulson sighed, “Clint…. Look at me….Please look at me” Clint peeked up at Coulson. “Clint. Come on, all the way”

Clint sighed and looked at Coulson fully, taking in his expression. _He looks nervous, is he afraid that I might nark on him? I won’t, I would never nark on him…_

Coulson at Clint and sighed again, “Okay… Look. I really enjoyed that kiss. I truly did. It’s just…. You’re only 17 and I’m turning 29 in a few weeks, and it’s really not appropriate… Or legal”

Clint felt something click in his brain. _Oh…Oh… **Oh** … **OH.**_

Smiling, Clint focused his gaze on Coulson “So…What you’re saying is, is that if I was older we could possibly have a relationship?”

Coulson nodded, “If you were older, of legal age, with your parents’ permission I would freely start a relationship with you. But you aren’t older, and I’m pretty sure Natasha would castrate me if we kissed again…”

Clint’s brain stopped listening to Coulson after ‘start a relationship with you’. He had gotten all the information he needed. Standing up, Clint smiled as he walked over to Coulson.

Coulson’s eyes widened as Clint got closer, almost bulging out of his sockets when Clint pressed against him. Smirking, Clint pressed his lips as close to Phil’s as he could, their breaths mingling “The second I turn 18, _Phil,_ I’m coming into this office and kissing you stupid. Better start preparing yourself now”

Clint then brushed his lips ever so gently against Phil’s, a teaser for what would come in a little under a year’s time, and strolled out of the room, adding a little wiggle to his hips. _Teasing Phil this year is gonna be so much fun._

 

~

Phil groaned as he watched Clint leave his office. Those hips were killing him, and so were his lips.

_Fuck, I’m screwed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( You can prompt me if you wish for other fics, or for any ideas you may have about this fic at [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 18  
> Life Event: Senior Year

Phil had been dreading Clint’s 18th birthday since the day Clint had left his office with that damned sway in his hips. Phil hadn’t taken Clint’s promise of kissing the ever-loving breath out of Phil lightly, and was still scrambling to try and find something to do (read: be out of the goddamn country) by his birthday the next day (Phil knew it wasn’t gonna happen, Fury has a sick sense of humor). Of course, Clint hadn’t exactly been helping Phil’s nervousness the past year either. At every opportunity Clint could, he would be an ever-loving tease for Phil. At Christmas Clint was deep-throating candy-canes and ‘accidently’ being caught under the mistletoe, in February it was Clint walking around in only tight leather pants with his arrow (claiming to be cupid), and recently he had taken to eating fucking ice-pops. Phil didn’t know how Clint had found so many white colored ice pops, but if he had to watch Clint shove white colored ice into his mouth one more time he was gonna come in his goddamn pants.

It’s not like Phil didn’t _want_ Clint to kiss him completely senseless, he just knew there would be major repercussions if Clint did. Major repercussions in the form of a Russian Assassin who would probably cut off his dick and force him to eat it. There was also the fear Phil had that he would take Clint’s kiss too far. When Clint had gone missing before his 17th birthday, Phil had officially broken things off with Audrey again, knowing that his infatuation with Clint wasn’t in any way fair to her. So, Phil had been celibate for 365 days, his hand his only company, and if Clint kissed him the way Phil dreaded (and fantasized) he would, kisses wouldn’t be the only thing that they did.

Phil really didn’t want to have sex with a senior in high school at almost 30 years old. It just…. _Sounded_ skeevy.

Phil just wanted this week to be over.

 

*****

Clint grinned as he woke up late in the morning. After having to go to school on his birthday (excluding his 17th birthday when he was running around upstate New York) for the last 5 years, it was great to have a birthday on a weekend.

Clint was also excited because today was the day that he was gonna rock Phil Fucking Coulson’s world. He was gonna into that office, push Phil’s desk chair back, straddle his legs, and kiss the goddamn breath out of him. It was gonna be fucking perfect.

Clint wanted to get up and start on his day, but stayed in the warm bed, knowing that Steve and Tony were going to be bursting into his room any moment with his birthday breakfast (a tradition they started when Clint turned 15 and only food would be the thing that could get his ass up in the mornings).

Clint barely had the thought through his head when his door slammed open and in walked Tony and Steve with a _ridiculous_ amount of food on a breakfast tray “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!”

Clint smiled and rolled his eyes, shifting to sit up in the bed “Thanks guys”

Steve set the tray down and sat down on the side of his bed, the other side being taken up by Tony “No problem Clint, we just want you to have a great birthday”

Tony smirked, “Yeah brat. Your 18th should be better than every other birthday… Well… besides your 21st, but nobody remembers their 21st birthday”

“I did Tony”

“Shhh Steven, you’re an outlier and therefor shouldn’t be counted”

Steve rolled his eyes but snuck a wink at Clint, making him choke on the bacon he had just stuffed into his mouth.

“No fair Stevie! You can’t sneak looks at Clint when I’m not looking!!”

Steve laughed, “All’s fair in love and war babe”

Clint, when he had stopped choking, just looked at the men that he considered his parents. “So, I finally figured out what I want for my birthday….”

Tony got a glimmer in his eyes, “Finally!! What? Is it another car? Because I can totally get you another car in like…. An hour…”

Clint smirked and shook his head, “Nope. Already have a car and a motorcycle…”

Steve hummed thoughtfully, “Is it a game? Movie? Book? Something you want to do today?”

Head shook his head at each question, loving that he had a secret that they couldn’t guess.

Tony sighed and flopped over, landing on Clint’s legs “I give up. You’re just gonna have to tell us”

Clint bit his lip and began to play with the edge of quilt, “Welllll….”

Steve and Tony looked at each other with a worried expression. Clint was trying so hard not to begin to laugh.

Steve pressed his hand to Clint’s ankle, “Well?”

Clint looked up, a smile twinkling in his eyes if not his lips “I kinda want you guys to get married”

 

*****

Tony and Steve were both on the floor, Steve on his back while Tony was half sprawled over him. Tony didn’t know when they ended up the floor, or how, but he thinks it has something to do with how loud Clint is laughing. Looking up, Tony couldn’t help but glare at his brat of a son.

“Sorry” Clint choked out between his snorts, his face bright red and tears streaming from his eyes. “I didn’t think that would cause you guys to freak out so bad”

Steve stood up first and helped Tony to his feet, “Well that did kind of come out of the blue kid”

Tony watched Clint shrug and shove another piece of bacon into his mouth (some days Tony thought Clint ate more food than Steve and Thor did), “Not really. I mean you guys have been dating for over five years, you’ve raised me as your son, I mean most people would have gotten married by now…”

Tony thought about it, Clint did have a point. “Guess it’s never been something we’ve ever thought about” Tony turned to Steve, “What do you say Stevie? Wanna get hitched like the glorious gays we are?”

Steve rolled his eyes and shoved Tony, “Ask me a little more romantically and then we’ll talk”

Tony smirked, “Deal”

Walking over, Tony pulled Steve’s head down to kiss him, only breaking when Clint screeched “Aww, parents no!”

Guess Tony was getting married to Steve Rogers because their kid asked them too.

*****

Clint spent an extra-long time in the shower this morning, really trying to primp himself up (yeah, he couldn’t believe he just used the word ‘primp’ either). After his shower he put on the tightest shirt in his closet, and the blue jeans that made all the girls in the Cheer Squad whistle when they see his ass, his motorcycle leather jacket thrown over the ensemble.

So when Clint looked in the mirror before he left, he knew he looked good. No, he looked better than good. He looked goddamn _fantastic._

He was already to seduce the pants off of Phil (possibly literally)….

 

*****

Phil had made it to lunch without seeing Clint all day, so he assumed that he would be safe from the now legal teen. Grabbing a sandwich and mineral water from the cafeteria, Phil ate his lunch in his office like he did every day. Phil said it was because he wanted to work while he ate, but Nick (the bastard) said that it was because Phil was antisocial. Phil wasn’t antisocial… He just…. Didn’t like to eat meals with people. He preferred his own company, his own company was very nice thank you very much. _Shove your antisocial crap up your ass Marcus_

In fact, Phil was so caught up in his inner-monologue about how antisocial he was, that he didn’t even notice that someone had slipped into his office until they coughed.

Phil carefully didn’t jump in his seat, but slowly raised his gaze up from his food, and into the eyes of one Clint Francis Barton Rogers Stark.

_Fuck._

“Clint, I didn’t see you come in”

Clint just smirked at Phil and leaned back into the couch that he was sitting on, his legs splaying open and _holy fuck, Jesus Christ, I am so fucking screwed._

Clint was a walking wet dream. He was wearing a chocolate brown leather jacket that looked well-worn and soft to the touch. Underneath the jacket was the tightest goddamn shirt the color purple had ever been dyed into, and jeans so tight against the thighs Phil was already beginning to pant. Clint’s eyes were heavily lined in charcoal-black, and his hair was spiked in just the way that Phil wanted to rub his fingers through. Did Phil mention that he was a walking wet dream? Because _holy Mary mother of God._

“Yeah, what with the way you were muttering at that sandwich like it had personally offended you…”

Clint then smirked and Phil had a hard time not choking on his own tongue. Sitting up straighter in his seat, Phil let out a little cough and looked at the young archer “Yes, well… Is there any specific reason why you’re in my office?”

Clint just shook his head and stood up, “You know why I’m here…”

Phil gulped and began to stand up as Clint walked closer, “Clint…. This is highly-!” Phil was pushed down by Clint’s firm hand, Clint’s legs coming up to straddle his hips in Phil’s desk chair. Phil felt his eyes go wide as he looked up at Clint’s face, the words that were trying to bubble up slowly dying out.

Clint smirked and wrapped his arms around Phil’s shoulders. Phil tried to lean back in the chair as far as he could, “Cli-clint…. Really… You’re still in High School and we shouldn’t be-”

Phil’s words were cut off when Clint’s lips pressed against his own, and just like that day over a year ago, Phil’s brain snapped in half. His arms snapped around Clint’s back as he tried to press the younger man as close to his own body as he could, Phil’s mouth pressing insistently against his. Clint merely groaned in response and opened his mouth for Phil’s tongue to explore, a moan of his own escaping Phil’s lips at how good it felt.

Clint ground his hips against Phil’s and Phil had to pull his mouth away to moan, “Fuck Clint”

Clint brought Phil’s mouth back to his own and Phil and Phil lost the last tiny shred of control he had.

 

*****

Clint’s phone rang just as he was pulling back on his pants, Phil tying his tie a few paces from him.

The caller ID told him it was Tony calling, and all of the sudden shit got real. Picking up the phone, Clint answered it with a soft “Hey dad”, wincing when Phil froze.

“Hey brat, where are you?”

Clint gulped, “Just… chilling with Ph-Coulson?”

Phil shot Clint a look and Clint just gave him a sheepish smile and shrug.

“Well, grab Ph-Coulson and get your butts back to the tower. We have a party to commence!”

“Tony?! ARE YOU TELLING CLINT ABOUT HIS SURPRISE PARTY?”

Clint couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Tony yelp and the phone crash to the ground, succinctly ending the call.

Clint shoved his phone back in his pocket and turned to look at Phil (who someone managed to look like they didn’t just have hot, sweaty, _amazing_ sex in his office). “So… That was Tony”

Phil hummed, “I… gathered”

Clint smiled, “He wants us to head back to the tower”

Phil raised an eyebrow at Clint, taking in the bruised lips and ‘just had sex’ hair, “You sure that’s a good idea?”

Clint shrugged, “Probably not. But do you _really_ want dad to come to your office and drag you to the tower and smell the sex we just had in here?”

Phil sighed, seemingly beaten. Clint just smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, humming when Phil kissed him back.

Pulling his head away, Clint just winked and grabbed Phil’s hand to lead him out of the office.

He couldn’t help but laugh when Phil huffed behind him.

 

*****

Tony still didn’t regret telling Clint that they were throwing his a party (a surprise party), how else was he supposed to get his brat home? Clint is allowed to do whatever he wants on his birthday (barring running off and getting kidnapped), so just telling him to come home would definitely not been enough.

Though, Tony did have to question what Clint was doing in Phil’s office. That was a random place for the teenager to hang out at on his 18th birthday. Tony had assumed he was going to the range, or hang with Kate at their pizza shop, but no – she had arrived at 12 to set up for the party (did she help? Not at all. She was too busy playing with Lucky, the pathetic thing). Shrugging, Tony decided that he really didn’t care and put the finishing touch on the decorations.

“Okay people! Lights off while we wait for the birthday booyyyy”

Steve sighed, “Tony, you already told him that he was having a-”

Tony pressed a finger to Steve’s lips, “Shhh. Jarv, lights out!”

Tony and Steve ducked down as soon as the lights went out and waited for Clint and Phil to arrive.

 

*****

Clint knew that the team was throwing him a ‘surprise’ party, and that Tony had _totally_ ruined it, but he wasn’t expecting them to still go through with the whole jumping out from behind couches thing. It was actually kind of ‘surprising’, _heh. I’m so funny…_

Smiling, Clint walked into the room with Phil at his back “Thanks guys!”

Getting smiles and slaps on the back in return, Clint made his rounds about the room, but always kept Phil in his peripheral (post-coital made him possessive apparently, who knew?) It wasn’t until he was sitting down for his birthday dinner, Steve and Tony on either side of him, that he realized that there had been a big ‘I JUST HAD SEX’ symbol sitting on his body. Of course Kate was the one to point it out.

“So Clint....”

Clint looked up from his food, “Yes Katie-Kate?”

Kate smirked at him, and that’s when Clint knew he was in trouble “Where did you get that hickey?”

Clint’s eyes went wide as he smacked a hand to his neck (the exact spot where Phil had been trying his hardest to break Clint’s skin two hours earlier).

Tony and Steve both turned to him and dragged his hand away from his neck, and stared at the hickey on his neck.

Clint felt red tinge his cheeks as he glanced quickly over at Phil, his Agent Coulson face still firmly in place.

“Clint! So _that’s_ where you were today! Who was the lucky girl or guy, huh? Are they nice? Do we know them?”

Clint sighed and shook his head, “Nobody that you guys would know personally….”

Clint then looked into Phil Coulson’s eyes and tried to convey how sorry he was. Agent Coulson just stared back at him.

 

*****

It had been a couple of months since Clint’s birthday, and he and Phil had yet to talk about that day or they mind blowing sex that they had shared (and the loving kisses that had come afterward).

Clint wanted to say that he was surprised, but the way Phil had acted when Kate had pointed out his hickey and how busy he was since then, Clint knew he was only dreaming if he thought they could ever be together again.

Eventually, Clint shrugged it off. It was his senior year in high school and he had shit to do (that wasn’t Phil’s fucking amazing body). He had AP courses out his noise, the archery team were going to nationals, and so was the cheering squad. He still had 6 college applications to fill out, and the SAT to retake, but he was really looking into something that he knew none of the Avengers would like. Oh! He was also helping to plan Tony and Steve’s wedding that was happening over the summer (his birthday wish come true). All in all, it was a big fucking year for him, and Clint wasn’t going to let Phil Coulson get him down (even if he did think about him before he went to bed every night, but nobody had to know about that except for Lucky, and Lucky couldn’t talk).

So Phil actively seeking him out right before he headed off for the archery nationals (which weren’t nearly as excited as the cheerleading nationals held in Disney) Clint was actually pretty fucking surprised.

Clint had been packing up all of the stuff he needed for the weekend trip, when he heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was Tony or Steve, or maybe even Nat with Bucky or Bruce in tow, Clint shouted out “Come on in!”

When the visitor didn’t immediately start to talk or help him pack, Clint turned and saw Phil standing in the doorway “Oh….”

 

*****

Phil watched as Clint just stared at him in shock, knowing that he deserved the expression from the younger man. The way Phil had treated Clint since his party hadn’t been the best (though most of it truly wasn’t his fault), and now he was trying to fix it – hoping that Clint would forgive him.

“Hey….. Can we talk?”

Phil watched as Clint blinked and then nodded slowly, allowing Phil to enter the room and close the door fully behind him. “I just… wanted to apologize for the last few months. My actions weren’t what I meant to do after…”

“We had sex?”

Phil nodded, “Yeah.”

Clint shrugged and looked back at his bag, “’S no problem…”

Phil sighed and walked closer to Clint “No it is a problem. I gave you the wrong impression at the party and these last few months and I want to apologize…”

Clint just looked at him blankly, causing Phil to cup his cheeks with his hands, “What we did was totally inappropriate in my office. Not only am I 11 years your senior, but I’m essentially your parent’s boss….”

Clint tried to look down at his shoes but Phil pushed his chin back up, “No wait, I wasn’t finished… Despite the fact that it was inappropriate and my actions afterwards, I never want you to doubt that I don’t actually regret what happened…. Nor would I be adverse for it to happen again…. Unless Natasha kills me, then I would regret dying.”

Phil couldn’t help but smile when Clint’s eyes filled with hope, and Clint’s body hitting his caused them both to fall backwards onto the bed.

Phil moaned into Clint’s kiss, his hands going to cup Clint’s ass and the boy ground his groin against Phil’s. If Phil sincerely thought he could last for any longer than 5 seconds with Clint’s rubbing, he would have kept the position they were in. But, knowing that he was on the verge of explosive orgasm, Phil flipped their positions and growled into Clint’s lips. Clint moaned and titled his head back as Phil began to kiss down his neck, biting into the flesh that had once held his mark, once again claiming the younger man as his own with a big bruise.

Phil smiled when he and Clint repacked his bags and the younger man went off with a huge-ass hickey on his neck.

 

*****

Clint, after kissing Phil goodbye, went on to win the solo division and his team placed 1st overall in archery at Nationals. Clint came home and spent the week have congratulatory office sex every time he could with Phil. Then two weeks later, Clint went to Disney World for the first team and the cheer squad won 2nd place at their Nationals. Though Clint had tried to get the Avengers to follow the team to Disney World so they could have an impromptu family vacation, the Avengers got stuck avengering in Shanghai and at the last minute couldn’t come (Clint supplemented himself by skyping with all of them, and sexting, _hardcore sexting_ , with Phil). Clint after that got accepted into all the colleges he applied for, and got a 2100 on his last attempt at the SAT (which was actually a surprise because Clint wasn’t even paying attention to half the fucking questions). He was currently acing all his classes, and was getting regular (amazing) sex from his (secret) boyfriend. His life was looking pretty good so far, except for that one little thing he was still thinking about. Well… It was actually a kind of big thing (a really big thing).

See, Clint wanted to go into the Army (he knew how good he was at sniping). Clint wanted to serve his country in the best way he knew how, by going deep into the trenches and deserts, fighting face to face with the real enemy (and not the larger than life ones that the Avengers fought). Clint really wanted this, had already talked to the recruiters and sorted out half of the paper, but Clint just _knew_ that nobody would take it very well.

Steve and Bucky would probably argue really loudly, Tony would probably start yelling, Bruce would go gray, Natasha would sigh in her Natasha way, Thor would probably think it would be a good idea (Thor believed everyone should see battle once, it builds character), and Phil would probably think it would be too dangerous (Phil was a little possessive too, not that Clint could be angry about that).

Calling for JARVIS to call everyone up to the kitchen for a meeting, Clint took a deep breath and waited for everyone to arrive.

 

*****

Tony and Bruce were working in the lab downstairs, trying to see if they could create a time machine (Steve and Bucky carefully watching from the corner). Steve and Bucky weren’t _exactly_ needed to watch over Tony and Bruce, their last incident had been _way_ over 3 months ago. But since they were working on something that wasn’t exactly ‘legal’ or ‘possible,’ Steve and Bucky (read: Natasha and Phil) had thought it… best… If Tony and Bruce were occupied.

The two had been working on the time machine for about 5 hours, and Tony had just set his arm hair on fire while Bruce laughed at his desk (whoever said that Bruce Banner was mild-mannered and meek were fucking _liars_ ) when JARVIS called out of the loud speaker, “Excuse me gentlemen, but Clint requires you all in the kitchen for a family meeting”

Tony frowned and pulled the googles over his eyes to the top of his head, still smacking at his arm with a towel “Did he say why Jarv?”

JARVIS came back over the loud speaker, and if Jarv could clear his throat he would have “Master Clint didn’t exactly say sir, but he was anxious and his heart-rate is increased.”

Shrugging, Tony looked to the other three men in the lab, “You guys have any ideas”

Steve, Bucky, and Bruce just shrugged – seemingly as stumped as he was.

Sighing, Tony threw his goggles onto the lab table and began to make his way across the floor. “Guess we should go see what’s up…”

The trio still left in his lab all shrugged and followed Tony up to the kitchen (not like they had any other choice).

 

*****

Phil wasn’t sure why Clint had requested everyone come to the kitchen, but he was hoping it wasn’t for something bad. The two had been enjoying ( _really_ enjoying) their secret relationship for the past month, and despite knowing how wrong it was, Phil couldn’t help but be quite content with his young archer.

Phil was, luckily, the first to arrive in the kitchen for the meeting Clint had called. Not knowing how long he had until anyone arrived, Phil quickly swooped down and pecked Clint on the lips, surprising him out of the stupor he was in.

Clint had barely responded when Phil pulled himself back, smiling at the archer’s whine and pouty face.

“You keep doing that, your face is gonna stay like that forever”

Clint just rolled his eyes, “You know that’s an old wives tale Phil”

“Is it?”

“…. Shut up and stop making me doubt myself”

Phil just laughed and sat down two seats from Clint. They were close enough that they could still kick each other’s feet under the table (or if Clint was feeling naughty, lean back in his seat and run his foot up Phil’s thigh, but that was only on rare occasions), but just far enough that nobody would question it. “Want to tell me why you’re calling a meeting?”

Clint just shook his head, “No. It’s an ‘everyone should be here’ kinda news, if you know what I mean?”

Phil just nodded and carefully controlled his face back into his ‘Agent Coulson’ mask as everyone else began to arrive on the scene (his foot however was tangling with Clint’s underneath the table).

 

*****

Clint waited until everyone was seated and looking at him like he had grown three heads before he started his carefully prepared speech. “Okay. So, for the past year or so I’ve been having these thoughts-”

“Clint honey, we all know that you’re bisexual” Steve cut in immediately.

Clint just smiled, “Yes and I know you all love me anyway. But that’s not what I’m talking about…..”

Steve just nodded and smiled at him to proceed. “Okay, so I’ve been having these thoughts for a while now. Especially since I’ve started applying for colleges and there have been different colleges and programs coming to the school to present…” Clint then trailed off, afraid to go on.

“Oh come on now brat, you can’t end there – you know how I hate cliff-hangers!!”

Clint just smiled at Tony and took a deep breath to calm his nerves, “Okay so. Pop was in the army and so was Uncle Bucky and they fought for their country and I wanna fight for my country and I can get a really good education in the army and I kinda wanna be a sniper or a marine but probably a sniper in all actuality because that’s what I’m good at anyway and I just really wanna be in the army” _Shit. So much for calm, cool, collected, and rehearsed. They’re all looking at you like you just told them you wanted to be a stripper, way to go Clinton._

The room was silent for about 5 seconds.

Then all _hell_ broke loose.

“You can’t join the army!!”

“You’ll get hurt!”

“The army ain’t like it used to be”

“They’re all dickwads”

“Why would you need the army when you have all those college prospects?”

“They use weapons Clint, _weapons”_

Clint put a hand up to stop the tirade, “Don’t you guys use weapons?”

“…..Not the point Clint….” The tirade then started back up again.

Clint sighed just kinda took it all in and waited for everyone to quiet down before he spoke again, “Look. I just…. This is something I wanna do, okay? Can you guys support me in this? Please?”

Everyone at the table looked at each other, trying to size up the situation before answering. It seemed that they all came to the same conclusion at the same time (Clint would do it whether they gave their blessing or not), and nodded to him.

Taking a deep breath. Clint relaxed against his seat “Awesome”

 

*****

Another few months passed since Clint’s talk with everyone about joining the army, and though everyone still didn’t agree with him going into the army, no one could exactly argue with him anymore.

Clint had passed all of his classes and ended up being valedictorian (surprisingly). His speech apparently made everyone cry (especially Tony and Steve, but neither one would admit it), and the after-party was kinda boring (everybody just wanted to get drunk, and Clint _really_ didn’t like that idea). Clint left half-way through and spent the night at Phil’s apartment (much more fun, and much sexier if Clint did say so himself. And he did), and the next morning stumbled into the tower under the waggling eyebrows of Tony and Bucky (Steve and Natasha rolling their eyes at their two lovable idiots).

Now, a month a half later, his dads were getting married, and Clint couldn’t be happier. He wasn’t the best-man for either of the men (probably because they couldn’t decide whose side he would be on, so Clint chose neither), and was quite happy to sit in the audience and cheer his dads on.

The ceremony went on for a while when Tony and Steve turned to Clint and smiled at him, his cue to stand up and go to the stage. Clint had written a song for Tony and Steve when he was still 13 and getting used to the tower, but had hidden it from them for the longest time. Steve had found the song buried in the cleaning closet that nobody ever went in to trying to find his ‘old man shoes’ (as Tony likes to put them, and hide them) and had announced to Tony and Clint that he was _definitely_ performing it at the wedding.

Taking a deep breath, Clint pressed his fingers to the keys of the piano and began to play, his voice soon following:

_I used to be alone_

_Out there in the black of night_

_But now I’ve found a home_

_Everything just feels alright_

_This may not be the family that I was born in to_

_But they’re the reason that I know who…_

_I am!_

_This feeling inside oh so real yes,_

_Who I am!_

_Sometimes I just don’t know what to feel oh,_

_Who I am!_

_This family feels like home to me,_

_Not beatings, yelling, anymore for me_

_I finally feel safe inside my skin,_

_I don’t know how long it’s been_

_I know just who,_

_I am!_

_And on this day forevermore I’ll know_

_Who I am!_

_They’ll never kick me out the door because I am_

_Who I am!_

_And on this day we’ll finally be,_

_Legally,_

_A family._

_And it will change… who... I… Am._

Clint had closed his eyes during his performance, unknowing when or for how long. But now he opened them to find the whole crowd staring at him, most wiping a tear from their eyes. Clint felt his shoulders go up in slight embarrassment, but when he turned to see Tony and Steve with the same expressions – he knew that he was okay. Smiling softly, Clint stood up and gave both Tony and Steve a huge hug before sitting back down again.

After the performance, the crowd turned their gaze back to the alter. Both Tony and Steve were standing at there in front of Nick Fury (yeah, Clint didn’t know why he agreed either), and recited their vows softly to each other. Clint just watched in awe as they kissed when Fury announced them husband and husband, and thought about what it would feel like to do that with Phil.

Clint then realized he was putting the buggy in front of the horse and shook the thoughts from his head. A casual almost friends-with-benefits relationship is not the same thing as an _actual_ relationship, _get ahold of yourself Rogers-Stark. Phil may find someone new yet…_

*****

Tony sighed happily, his head resting on Steve’s chest as they slowly shuffled on the dance floor. Tony and Steve had argued the most about the music for the wedding over every other detail. Tony wanted edgier music, ACDC coming to mind immediately; Steve wanted swing music, lots and lots of swing music. The two had argued endlessly about this little detail and they had almost cancelled the entire event, until Clint stepped in. Clint had given them a solid compromise, and now Steve and Tony were swaying to a light swing version of ‘Back in Black’.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Tony hummed and looked up at his now husband, “Mm just happy I guess”

Steve smiled, “Good. So am I. Though… I’m not really sure about our extended honeym-”

Tony put a finger up against Steve’s lips, “Shhhhhh…. We’ve argued about this before and I won dammit. We’re taking the extended honeymoon, we deserve it. Plus, I think Clint would be offended if we didn’t take his offer”

Steve just sighed and rolled his eyes, “I’m still surprised Clint offered that stupid family farm to us. I’m also surprised you accepted, you don’t seem like the farm type…”

Tony just shrugged and rested his head back on Steve’s chest. “It’s quiet I guess. We also get the chance to destroy everything in the place that belonged to Clint’s childhood”

Steve hummed thoughtfully, “Very true. Guess I didn’t think about that”

Tony smirked, “And all the sex we’ll have”

Tony didn’t see Steve’s eye roll at that, but he knew it happened.

*****

Clint sat at the huge dinner table to the immediate right of the dance floor and stared across the room at where Phil was talking to Bucky. He hoped that he didn’t look like the love-sick fool that he knew he was, and despite knowing it would never happen, Clint wished more than anything that Phil would ask him to dance.

“You know, you should just go ask him to dance…”

Clint blinked and jumped a little in his seat, staring blankly as Natasha slid into the seat next to him “Wha?”

Natasha smirked and nudged his shoulder with her’s, “Coulson. You’ve been staring at him like he was red meat for the past hour, go ask him to dance already”

Clint felt his cheek turn red as he looked down at the blue tablecloth, “No… I can’t do that…”

“Why not? He’s not dancing with anyone else… Nobody is gonna care if you two dance, I swear”

Clint tried not to blush further, hoping Natasha wouldn’t realize the real reason why he was blushing, “… I don’t think he wants to dance with me Tash”

“Then why has he been staring at you for the last five minutes?”

Clint jerked his head up at her before moving his head to the direction Phil was in. Their eyes met across the room and all of the sudden nothing else mattered.

“Clint? Clint? Jesus Christ kid, go dance with Phil, you’re old enough now to do what you want….”

Clint blinked and turned to Nat, “You sure?”

Natasha just rolled her eyes and shoved Clint out of his seat, smirking when the kid stumbled and almost went sprawling “Go dance with your man, before somebody else snaps him up”

Clint stood up straight and brushed off the imaginary lint on his sleeves and lapel, “Fine. You win. I’m off”

Natasha just laughed as he walked towards Phil.

 

*****

Phil had finished his conversation with Bucky and couldn’t help but turn his gaze to Clint. The boy was wearing a tuxedo and it fit him like a second skin, accented with a deep purple tie and waist-vest that really made the blue in his eyes pop. During the whole wedding, Phil couldn’t help but let his gaze wonder to the younger man constantly, hungrily taking his look in. Especially when the younger man was performing that song he had wrote. _God, the emotion in his eyes was fucking beautiful. I love him so much._ Phil paused and shook his head quickly, _don’t even think the word ‘love’ Phillip._

Phil knew that Clint had been looking at him the entire time as well, and felt confused when he stood up and walked towards him.

It wasn’t until Clint stood right in front of him and smiled, holding out his hand that Phil realized that Clint wanted to dance. He raised an eyebrow, but placed his hand in Clint’s and let himself be lead over to the dance floor.

Phil may have let Clint lead him to the dance floor, but Phil was always the leader when it came to ballroom dance. Taking Clint’s left hand in his right, wrapping his other hand around Clint’s waist, Phil began to twirl Clint around the room.

Clint smiled so sweetly at him that Phil almost kissed him right in front of everyone, his knees almost weak with the love he felt for the younger man. _Idiot! You shouldn’t fall in love with a kid who probably doesn’t love you, who will probably go off and find someone else to love… Jesus Christ Phil, all you do is have sex with Clint, this relationship probably means **nothing** to him…_

Phil tried not to sigh heavily at his thoughts, content to just be happy with the ways things were, never hoping for more than what he had.

 

*****

Clint couldn’t help but stare at Phil with a goofy grin on his face the entire time they were waltzing. He was just so stupidly in love with the guy, it was fucking ridiculous. It was stupid because Phil probably didn’t love him back, but Clint really couldn’t help it.

Especially when Phil was dancing so beautifully, so graceful that Clint wanted to weep in joy. His arms fit around Clint perfectly, and though Clint was used to being the lead, he felt his body submit over to Phil’s without a moment’s hesitation. If they weren’t in public, Clint would have followed Tony’s example and laid his head against Phil’s chest, relaxing against his body to listen to his heartbeat. _I wish we could in a non-secret relationship…_

In the back of his mind, Clint could hear that the music was coming to a stand-still, Phil preparing them by slowing down their dancing. Clint didn’t want the dance to end, Clint didn’t want the connection between the two of them to end. Clint didn’t want Phil to let go of him, ever. So when it happened, when Phil tried to pull away, Clint couldn’t let go. Clint didn’t want to let go. Clint just stared up into Phil’s confused expression and every thought in his brain slowly began to drift away.

Clint then kinda lost his brain and pulled Phil down into a passionate kiss by the man’s tie. Phil made a surprised noise but settled into the kiss almost immediately, much to Clint’s surprise.

_Whelp, you’ve fucked up now Clint, nothing you can do now but kiss Phil…_

 

*****

Tony was getting something to drink (non-alcoholic, he hadn’t had any real alcohol since Clint had started to live with them), when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

Turning his head, Tony raised an eyebrow when he noticed it was Natasha “Hey Red – what’s up?”

Natasha smirked, jerking her thumb over her shoulder instead of answering his question. Tony, knowing better than to question Natasha’s actions, simply looked over her shoulder.

His jaw dropped.

Clint and Phil were kissing like no tomorrow, and Tony really didn’t know when that fucking happened.

Forgetting about the drink he was about to get, Tony just walked forward unconsciously until he was right at the edge of the dance floor, watching his baby boy try and kiss the soul out of Agent Phil J Coulson’s body.

He wanted to say something, he thinks he should say something. But he doesn’t and he can’t. He can’t really be surprised either, didn’t he and Steve predict this when Clint was 13? _Jesus H Christ how long has this been going on – **oh my god. His fucking birthday party.**_

Tony just started in somewhat horror as Steve came up beside him and grabbed his hand “He’s not our little boy at all anymore, is he Tony?”

Tony just shook his head, “No…. No he’s not.”

Tony was about to turn away from the scene when he saw Bucky walk into the room, stare at Clint, and storm towards the table Natasha was sitting at. “GODDAMIT. TASHA YOU FUCKING CHEATED, I KNOW IT”

Tony blinked as Natasha cackled, got out of her seat, and ran across the room away from Bucky, Phil and Clint both breaking out of their kiss with shared blushes and gasps.

Tony just stared in shock as he turned to Steve, who merely shrugged at him and smiled.

_What the hell is my life?_

 

*****

Phil leaned his chin on Clint’s shoulder and kissed the skin behind his left ear, “Those the flight plans and your itinerary?”

Clint hummed and titled his head to give Phil a peck on the lips, “Yep. I leave for basic in two weeks”

Phil nuzzled Clint’s neck before pulling away, leaving Clint with an empty feeling inside “I’m gonna miss you”

Clint pouted and dropped the papers to the floor, wrapping his arms around Phil’s waist and pushing his head against Phil’s chest “Mmmissootoo”

Phil laughed, “I’m sorry – what was that”

Clint smiled and looked up at him, “I’m gonna miss you too”

Clint felt his heart jerk in his chest when Phil just gave him a sweet smile. Clint could see the love in Phil’s eyes and knew that Phil was seeing the same thing in his own.

The two shared a tender kiss that didn’t last very long, uncaring that they were in the middle of the tower kitchen (after the gala, their relationship was out in the open and nobody actually cared surprisingly). Clint pulled away after a moment and smirked at Phil, a glint in his eye.

“Uh oh, I know that look… What are you thinking about?”

Clint just winked, “Think about how much sex we’re gonna have in the next two weeks”

Phil just groaned as Clint began to laugh hysterically.

 

*****

Tony woke up the day Clint was going to be shipped out for his basic training, and internally groaned at the thought that his baby boy was leaving. He then groaned out loud when Steve shifted underneath him and Tony had to flop onto the mattress. Steve, still in capsicle mode, rolled over and cuddled into Tony’s side, humming like a contented kitten “Mmmm morning”

Tony nodded and raised his hand to stroke his fingers through Steve’s hair, his mind still focusing on the afternoon ahead, where Clint will be boarding a plane to Fort Bragg, and who the hell knows when he would be returning. Tony knew his boy had major skills, skills that surpassed any of the men they already had in their ranks, and Tony also knew they wouldn’t hesitate to use Clint as soon as they could.

Tony must have been thinking too hard and pulled on the strands of Steve’s hair, because one moment Tony was just thinking about Clint, and the next he had a worried puppy Steve looking at him right in front of his face.

“Tony? You okay? You’ve been staring into space for the past 20 minutes”

Tony just smiled and reached up to pull Steve down for a chaste kiss, “Just thinking about Clint leaving today. I’m gonna miss him so much, and don’t you think he’s probably gonna get hurt?”

Steve smiled and cupped Tony’s cheek, “I’m gonna miss him too, and you know he’s gonna miss us. And yeah, he’s probably gonna get hurt – most people do when they’re in the army. But that was Clint’s choice to go into the army, and we really do need to respect it Tony”

Tony just rolled his eyes, “God you’re such a goodie two shoes”

“Yes, but I’m your goodie two shoes”

“I’ll show you goodie two shoes”

“…. Tony that didn’t make any sense”

“Shut up I’m trying to seduce you dammit”

“You’re not doing a very good job”

“Oh fuck you”

“You’re not doing a very good job of that either”

“…. I like you better when everyone thought you were virginal and sweet”

“So you don’t like it that I can-?”

 

*****

Phil woke up the morning that Clint was going to be flying over to Fort Bragg for his basic training to a sunny morning, and two heavy weights on his chest and legs. Phil knew that the chest weight was Clint and his constant need to become an octopus when he sleeps, but Phil couldn’t identify what was holding his legs down with such a heavy weight. Rising up on one elbow, Phil noticed that Clint’s damn dog had somehow gotten into his room last night, and was making himself at home on Phil’s body and bed (truthfully, Phil shouldn’t be surprised at this anymore – this is definitely not the first time Lucky has done this, nor would it be the last. In fact, Lucky would probably sleep in Phil’s room every night that Clint wasn’t home. Phil would also probably let him and they would lament together at the loss of their octopus archer). Sighing, Phil gently kicked his leg upwards, a subtle hint for Lucky to move his ass off the bed.

The mutt looked up at Phil with his one eye (and god help him if Nick Fury ever become psychic and could hear Phil comparing him and Lucky), and after a tension-filled stare off, Lucky huffed and jumped off the bed to trot out the door, his tail flicking in goodbye.

Smiling, Phil turned his head and pressed a wet kiss to Clint’s neck, nuzzling the area softly. The younger man groaned and opened his eyes, a sleepy smile covering his face when he looked into Phil’s eyes.

“Morning baby”

Phil grinned when Clint just smiled in return and then buried his nose into Phil’s neck “Whu tim is it?”

Phil chuckled, “8:30 in the morning”

Clint groaned, “Why you wake me so early?”

Phil smirked at the perfect opening and turned on his side, pressing his hardening cock against the boy’s thigh “Oh, I just thought we could fill the time in before you had to leave for basic in a couple of hours”

Instantly, Clint was awake and rolling Phil to his back, straddling his waist “I like the way you think Mr. Coulson”

Phil just laughed “I thought you would….”

 

*****

Clint smiled shakily and waved to everyone as he headed into the security check, his plane for the basic left in an hour and a half, and he was trying hard not to cry. Despite how much Clint wanted to fight for his country and go out to see the world, he couldn’t help but already miss his family. They hadn’t been the one he had born into, but they were the ones that Clint really called his family, the ones who had nurtured him to the man he was now.

Clint had given each of them a personal goodbye last night, and he wished he had a little more time.

Turning back one more time, Clint waved to everyone, and sent a kiss to Phil. Phil just caught it and shoved it into his coat pocket (like the major dork he was), and Clint could turn and go through security with a smile on his face.

The smile slid off his face as soon as he was alone waiting for the plane. He was sitting with his elbows on his knees as he stared at the envelope clutched tightly in his hands. The envelope was addressed to him, Clint Francis Barton Rogers Stark. It was also addressed to a name Clint hadn’t really heard in a while, Hawkeye. World’s Greatest Marksman. The army knew of his skills with a bow and rifle, and wanted him for spec ops. In fact, they wanted him immediately. Clint wasn’t even going into basic – he was going to Lichtenstein, and he had no clue when he would be returning home.

Taking a deep breath, Clint stood up when his flight was called and boarded his plane.

He was ready for anything the army threw at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( You can prompt me if you wish for other fics, or for any ideas you may have about this fic at [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 19  
> Life Event: Deafness

Clint was in Luxembourg on his 19th birthday, in the freezing cold and the pouring fucking rain (because that was his goddamn luck) sitting on a rooftop and waiting for some stupid asshole Ten Rings leader to step into his line of sight so he could take him out. While he was freezing his goddamn ass of, the rest of the black ops team were circling through the building (the warm, unwet inside of the building) of what they had heard rumors of being a Ten Rings base (full of their weapons and schematics) and placing high density grenades in key locations, ready to explode in 20 minutes.

Clint sighed as he waited for the man to come into the window frame, missing his family. It had been two months since he had last seen them, and since then Clint hadn’t been even able to talk to them. No phone calls, no letters, no texts, nothing. Clint knew that was for a reason. Clint hadn’t gone through basic training like all the other recruits, instead having gone for the immediate fast-route, now working for an obscure black ops group that wasn’t exactly legal (or known about), so the government probably was scared that Clint would _reveal_ something to his family. _Fat fucking chance assholes._ For two months he had been working with a branch of the US Army that nobody knew about (okay, everyone knew it existed. The US army was just kidding itself), and Clint just knew that if he didn’t get in touch with his family soon he would lose every shred of humanity he had left.

He had been so gung-ho about joining the army. It had seem like the logical choice what with having Steve and Bucky always around, and then there was Tony’s friend Rhodey, and Steve’s friend Sam. They had all been, or were in the army. Plus, he got to serve his country and get a free education at the same time. It had sounded perfect! But it wasn’t. He was doing something he had never wanted to do. He was a fucking assassin for the US government, and he wasn’t even getting paid for it.

_Come on you son of a bitch, let me at least have some of my birthday to celebrate._

Clint heard the soft ‘clear’ come into his comm, and knew that the grenades had all been set up for launch. He had exactly 20 minutes to shoot the asshole and get the hell out of dodge.

5 minutes went past before the man finally stepped into view and Clint could line up his rifle for the shot (Clint seriously would have preferred his bow but _whatever_ ), completely ignoring the scope that all the other snipers had to use. Clint shot through the window and waited ten seconds for the man to crumble to the ground. Clint was still unsure about why he had to kill the guy if the building was going to explode, but hell he was just the ‘help’, what did he know? Dismantling his gun, Clint put it away and began to get off the roof. _15 minutes in counting._

It took Clint another 5 minutes to get through the building and outside to the ground. Throwing his duffle over his back, Clint smiled at a job well-done. _And with 10 minutes to spare._

Clint was already heading down the street when he heard singing. Turning around, Clint spotted a young girl skipping down the street and stopping right in front of the building that was gonna blow.

_There is a little girl standing in front of the building that is about to blow._

**_There is a little fucking girl standing in front of the building that is about to blow._ **

Running over, Clint skidded to a stop next to the girl. Hissing over his comm, Clint tried to get a message to his commanding officer that he was going to be a little late and to hold extraction, but of course he didn’t get an answer back. The bastards had left him. Again. Clint didn’t know why he didn’t fucking quit or complain. Clint was lucky he knew how to do half the shit on his own, or he would have died a month and a half ago when the assholes had found out he was bisexual and let him almost bleed out after their op had gone FUBAR.

_What the fuck ever happened to no man left behind?!_

Smiling, Clint kneeled in front of the girl, dismissing the bad thoughts “Hello. Do you speak English?”

The little girl nodded slowly and looked down at the ground shyly. Her parents must have beaten into her not to talk to strangers.

Clint grinned, “Well. My name is Clint, what’s your name?”

The girl looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled “Liesl”

Clint nodded, “That’s a beautiful name. May I ask where you are going Liesl?”

Liesl smiled, “I am on my way home. But I had to stop to tie my shoe” nodding down at the laces currently tangled up against the ground.

Clint nodded, “A good reason to stop” _5 minutes in counting Clinton_ “Do you want me to tie your shoe for you?”

Liesl met his eyes with wide ones of her own, “You would do that for me?”

Clint nodded, letting his expression go serious (but in the ‘I’m actually a teddy-bear’ kind of way) “Of course I would. We’re friends aren’t we?”

Liesl smiled, giggling, and nodded; sticking out her foot for Clint to tie her shoe “Thank you so much”

Clint nodded and quickly tied her shoe into a double-knot “There we go Liesl. Now you can head on home”

Liesl grinned and began to skip off. Clint breathed a sigh of relief, _3 minutes in counting._

He was just about to turn and walk away when he saw Liesl stop again. “Liesl? What’s wrong?”

The girl turned to look at him, “Why are you wearing those clothes? You aren’t here to hurt anyone are you” _Aw, shit kid. 2 minutes in counting._

Clint smiled and shook his head, “No sweetheart. I just like wearing green. Head on home before your parents get worried about you” _1 minute in counting, you can make it Clint._

Liesl nodded once more and skipped off into the distance, much to Clint’s relief. She won’t be hurt from the blast, thank heavens.

Nodding to himself, Clint shoved his duffle higher onto his shoulder and took a step fo-

**_Boom._ **

 

*****

Today had been Clint’s 19th birthday. Tony had had a whole celebration planned out for the brat. It was going to be army-themed and everything. That was before he hadn’t heard from Clint in two months, hadn’t heard from his _fucking_ son since they had seen him off at the airport two _fucking_ months ago.

Sighing, Tony poured himself another two fingers of scotch and looked out the window in the Avenger’s kitchen. Tony had known that this would happen. Knew that Clint’s skills far surpassed anything the army had to offer. But _goddamit,_ this was his baby boy he was talking about!

Two months without one scrap of news, of knowing what was happening to Clint. The only reason Tony knew for sure that Clint was alive was because the army hadn’t come knocking at his door with their ‘heart-felt’ regret… Or whatever spiel it is they give to the parents, spouses, and kids of the ‘brave and the fucking bold’.

Tony wished he could get Clint out of there, get him out of the active battlefield and bring him home. Tony could do it if he wanted, he had the resources to do so. _Desertion be damned, I’m Tony fucking Stark dammit._

“Tony?” A voice broke through his thoughts, and suddenly a light filled the once dark room. Blinking, Tony looked up and noticed a blurry image of his husband in the kitchen doorway.

“Heeeey Stevie”

Steve sighed and came into the room, “What are you still doing up Tony?”

Tony hummed and lifted up his glass of scotch, “Havin drink! Want some?”

Steve shook his head and sat down in the seat next to Tony’s “You’re drunk”

Tony sighed himself and slammed back the scotch “’ts Clint’s birday Stevie”

Steve sighed again (much better than Tony’s) and grabbed the scotch bottle before Tony could reach for it, pulling it away from Tony’s immediate grasp “I know it’s Clint’s birthday Tony”

Tony rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair “I’m celebratin Stevie, celebrate wit me”

Steve ignored the offer for alcohol with a stern expression. “You’re celebrating by getting drunk?”

“By tryin to forget he hasn’t talked to us in _months_ ” Tony slurred to Steve in anger.

Steve sighed for a third time and stood up, pulling Tony’s seat out “I know he hasn’t talked to us in months. Trust me, I know. It bothers me too, brings back some really bad memories.”

Tony began to feel guilty. Steve always knew how to make him feel guilty without even trying. “I knowwwwww Bucky and stuff”

Steve shook his head and wrapped Tony’s arm around his shoulders. “But we have to remember that Clint _is_ a big boy, and he asked for this. We just… have to support him. He wouldn’t want to see you like this, would he?”

Steve did have a point. Clint _abhorred_ alcohol. It scared him half to death just thinking about it. Tony nodded and leaned his head against Steve’s shoulder, “Jussss misss him”

Steve smiled and began to walk Tony to their bedroom “I know you do babe. So do I. But you’ll feel better in the morning, I promise”

Tony felt his eyes close, and hoped that Steve was right.

 

*****

Clint woke up to the black abyss of nothing. Or maybe it was a sea of darkness. Or a cave of midnight blue death…. Whatever, it was something clichéd and droll sounding. Whatever the expression was, that’s what he was living. Clint couldn’t see anything, he couldn’t hear anything, he couldn’t smell anything (weird sense to choose, but it worked sometimes), and all he felt was pain.

Clint didn’t know where he was, but at least he could recall what happened. _The damn building exploded right on top of me, that’s probably what fucking happened._ Sighing, Clint tried to get his bearings, but found he couldn’t move, and could barely breathe. Trying to remain calm, Clint took deep breaths and began to remember his (meager) training. In a situation like this, it’s best to start small and work your way toward the bigger things. Clint began to have an internal-monologue with himself as he began to test each individual part of his body, slowly, for movement.

 _Okay. I was probably knocked out in the blast, and the building must have fallen on me. Either I’m still under the rubble right now, or my body is under the rubble and I’m dead. **Fuck**_ **,** _being dead would be such a fucking bummer. Especially for everyone back home. They either will never know I’m dead, or will get a nice little fucking ‘house visit’ from two soldiers that I’ve never met before in my fucking life. I wonder if soldiers working in black ops that don’t actually exist get an army funeral. That would be nice for Steve and Tony. To get the nice little flag to hang on the wall in representation of me. Everyone would be able to see it, even Phil. **Fuck.** Phil. Phil was only my boyfriend, he won’t get jack **shit** from the army. No flag, no army tags, no nothing. **God, I hope I survive so the guys back home don’t have to go through that bullshit.**_

Clint was possibly thinking about delving more into his mind about funerals and the shitty state of the US army, but before he could think of a coherent argument, Clint pulled something to hard and a real blackness took over.

Clint once again fell victim to unconsciousness.

 

*****

Phil looked at the calendar on his computer and sighed, it had been Clint’s birthday three days ago. Three days ago his boyfriend had turned 19, and Phil hadn’t heard a peep from him in two months.

Sighing, Phil shook his head and went back to his paperwork – working from his office in Avenger’s tower. Phil would have been working through his paperwork on base, but he had been given a ‘day off’ because Nick Fury was ‘sick of his bullshit’ and couldn’t stand to watch Phil ‘pining like a lovesick puppy’. Phil would argue, but he knew it was the truth. Phil was pining for his boyfriend. He was allowed to! Hell, Phil had even bought Clint a birthday gift. Well, bought could be used loosely. Phil had requisitioned a new bow and trick arrows from the new R & D whiz kids Fitzsimmons. The two were no older than Clint himself, but were pure bonified geniuses – the closest thing that SHIELD had to Stark and Banner on their actual payroll. When Phil had originally put in the form for the requisite bow, the two scientists had been in shock and awe to say the least. Phil knew they were getting taken in by all the Phil ‘Badass’ Coulson rumors, but hell, it got his bow and arrows done in a week – so Phil _really_ couldn’t complain. Plus the expressions they got on their faces when he gave them praise was just too close to Clint’s ‘I did good?’ expression to pass up on.

Sighing once again at his distracted brain, Phil forced himself to refocus on his paperwork. He had finally gotten back into a mediocre rhythm when his cell-phone began to shrill into the quiet of the office. Humming, Phil pulled the damn contraption out of his desk and looked at the caller ID. _Marcus._

Frowning, Phil answered immediately. Nick only called on his personal cell-phone when shit got _serious._ “Cheese speaking”

“Phil. It’s your boy”

Phil’s heart stopped beating, “Whu-what?”

“An army contact of mine just called. Seems like your boy was working as sniper for Alpha team Red”

Phil closed his eyes and cursed every god he could think of. Alpha team Red was the _worst_ team to be on if one even had a _shred_ of fluid sexuality in them. Alpha team Red may be one of the best black ops teams the army had, but they were full of bigots and assholes. “Go… Go on”

“Well it seems they were blowing up a Ten Rings base, and left your boy at the scene. Building blew up and collapsed on top of him when he stopped to get a little girl away from the scene”

Phil felt his heart break in half. _No, no, no, no, **no.**_ “Shit Nick. Shit! I…. Where is his body? Could they _find_ a body? Oh god what I am going to tell-”

Nick cut Phil off, “They were able to get him out from underneath the rubble. He’s in a Luxembourg hospital. He’s alive, but he’s not in good shape. Call in the troupes, I have a pilot and a quinjet waiting to fly you over there”

Phil began to breathe again at ‘Clint is alive’. Smiling, Phil sighed in relief “You got it Marcus. I’ll round the troupes up and grab the quinjet in an hour”

Nick hummed, “Good. Go get your whinny white ass over and bring your boy home. Maybe you’ll stop all that pathetic pining and lonely bullshit if you do”

Phil chuckled, grateful for Nick’s… Perkiness. “Thanks Marcus. Talk to you later”

“Not a problem Cheese. Good luck”

Phil nodded and hung up the phone, already stalking out of his office.

_The Avengers better be ready to Assemble._

 

*****

Tony and Steve were having a huge argument in the middle of the Avenger’s kitchen. Tony wasn’t exactly sure what the argument was about; he thinks it started with the toaster, and now it was coffee. Whatever the argument was about, it was much needed in the Avengers Tower household.

Ever since Clint had left, the entire team had stopped the constant bickering and arguing that had been present when the younger man was still living with him. Things that used to make the team boil, now had them biting their tongues and keeping quiet. It was almost like everyone was walking on fiber glass – not quite as sharp as real glass, but the pain is still there all the same. Tony believed that the lack of arguments all stemmed from the damn lynch pin (Clint) missing from their group. Which sounds odd, seeing as how most people _start_ arguing when the key member is missing but hey, the Avengers were weird.

But anyway, Tony and Steve were arguing. Tony knew the argument was doing them some good, and was really needed – Steve’s shoulders were already starting to relax, and Tony didn’t feel an ache around the arch reactor for the first time since Clint left.

So yes, Tony gladly argued at the tops of his lungs about coffee and toasters with Steve. He _rejoiced_ in it.

Steve glared at Tony, “Don’t you dare smile you piece of shit, we are _ARGUING”_

Tony laughed (causing Steve’s face to go red in anger), and was about to open his mouth in rebuttal when Phil slid into the kitchen, a mad look in his eyes.

The argument between the men immediately dried up as they looked at Phil, both tense and ready for the ‘Avengers Assemble’ call.

Except, Phil was usually calm when he did the call – Phil Coulson was _always_ calm. _Unless Clint is involved._

Tony froze, his eyes going wide. _Oh god Clint._

Before Tony or Steve could even get their mouths open, Phil held up a hand “He’s fine, but he’s majorly injured. He’s sitting in a hospital in Luxembourg, and there’s a jet waiting on standby for us. Call the others, we leave in ten minutes”

Phil then left as quickly as he came, his coat billowing behind him. Tony simply turned to Steve and nodded, Steve looking up at the ceiling “JARVIS?”

“Yes sirs?”

“Avengers Fucking Assemble”

 

*****

Clint woke up for the second time to four white walls and the smell of bland antibacterial soap. Clint was very used to that scent after two months in the army, because ‘frilly girly soaps’ were not allowed (Clint just really liked the scent of lilacs on his hands, okay? That didn’t make him a ‘girl’ or what the stereotyped to _be_ a ‘girl) Clint hated the scent, because it reminded him of hospitals. Which he hated. Clint hated hospitals because he had spent so much of the beginning part of his life between four white walls (much like the ones he was staring at now), and yet they had never done anything to save him.

Sighing, Clint tried to take in his surroundings and his own personal body. He was very sore, that was for sure. Testing his fingers, Clint was happy to find he could wiggle all of them (if not move his arms). The same effect for his toes, and the rest of his body. This process took a few minutes, and began to try and context clue exactly where he was.

Clint could smell the stupid antibacterial soap – hospital.

Clint could see the four white walls and some medical equipment, no other beds – private hospital room

Clint could feel the bed sheet and knew they were high count and not scratchy – expensive private hospital room.

Clint could hear-

….Clint couldn’t hear.

_Clint couldn’t fucking hear._

Clint began to panic, and he wasn’t afraid to admit it. One of his key 5 senses was missing, and he wanted to know _what the fuck happened to it._ Clint, freaking out, tried to move his arms, but remembered that they were strapped down. Which didn’t help with the panic attack he was going through. Clint tried to control his heart and start his breathing exercises that Bruce had taught him, but instinct was taking over and Clint was about to flip his shit.

The Doctors and nurses must have been alerted to Clint’s distress, because the once white walls were now concealed by scrubs of different colors and anxious faces.

The man closest to Clint, wearing a white lab coat (Clint assumed that he was Clint’s doctor), pulled out a tablet and placed it in front of Clint’s face.

 

            **Hello, Clinton. I am Doctor Harman and I was the one that operated on you. You were in an accident and a building collapsed on top of you, which broke your arms and legs, and fractured three of your ribs. When the building blew, the resulting noise blew out your eardrums, leaving you almost 90% deaf in each ear. We tried to operate, but there was too much damage – hopefully with hearing aids you will be able to hear at mostly 100% again.**

 

Clint took a deep breath in, and released it slowly. _I’m deaf now…… Holy fuck, I’m deaf._ The doctor, unaware of Clint’s inner-turmoil about to begin, took back the tablet and wrote something else before showing it to Clint again.

 

            **You need to stay in the hospital for another week or two, and then you’ll need PT, speech therapy, and a fitting for hearing aids – but you’ll be back to normal before the year is out, I promise. Your family is on their way right now.**

 

Clint frowned. _Family?_ Looking up at the doctor, Clint tried to form the word with his lips, but failed miserably. The doctor knew what he was trying to say however, and pulled back the tablet to repeat the process of earlier.

 

            **Yes, family. You were lucky that somebody was able to get you out of the rubble and recognized your body. They alerted your family immediately after getting you here safely, and they’re on their way now. It will take them another couple of hours, so you should try and get some rest before they get here.**

 

Clint nodded, unaware when the doctors and nurses left him in the room alone. _Somebody found me. Somebody knew I was under the rubble… Somebody had been **watching** and they hadn’t bothered to fucking help! Fucking US Army and their goddamn homophobic bullshit… _

Clint felt his eyes close as he began his internal rant, and fell into dreamland for the second time.

 

*****

Phil burst through the hospital doors, uncaring when they slammed against the wall with a _bang!_

Running to the front desk, Phil was pulling out his SHIELD badge and his ID, not wanting to spend a second longer away from Clint as possible. The nurse was typing away at her computer at the front desk, but looked up at Phil with an amused expression on her face when he threw down his SHIELD badge.

“Parlez-vous anglais? Sprechen Sie Englisch?”

Phil spoke fluent French and German, but was too rattled on focusing on anything but his primary language.

The woman smiled and nodded, “We all speak English here because of the tourists. How may I help you today sir?”

Phil smiled in relief, “Clint Rogers Stark. What room is he in?”

The nurse frowned and looked into her computer, “I don’t have a Clint Rogers Stark”

Phil paused…. “Do you have a Clint Barton?”

The nurse nodded, “The deaf boy”

Phil felt his heart clench, _deaf?_ “Y-yeah… Him”

The nurse hummed, “Room 302”

Phil nodded and grabbed his badge, walking away from the reception desk and looking to the Avengers that had just burst through the doors, just like he had moments earlier. “He’s in Room 302”

The team nodded and followed Phil to the elevator, Steve and Tony at level with him.

Phil looked at the team that were all smashed into the elevator, everyone in everyone else’s space.

“Okay… Before we go see Clint, I have some shitty news…”

The whole team looked to Phil, and the man took a deep breath. Looking at Steve and Tony first, Phil sighed “Clint is deaf”

The team began to all talk at once, and Phil just closed his eyes as the elevator doors began to slide open.

 

*****

Clint woke up for the third time to the same scent of antibacterial soap and 4 white walls. Luckily, he finally knew where he was this time. Smiling, despite the ache in his cheeks at doing so, Clint turned his head to the side to see if Tony, Steve, or Phil were waiting at his side.

Nobody was there.

Disappointed, Clint sighed and moved his head slowly back up to look at the ceiling. Clint knew it was silly to be so excited about seeing his family, and it was also silly to be so disappointed when they weren’t there – but he really couldn’t help it. Clint was hurting in the worst way, he was scared, tired, and he hadn’t seen any of them in three months! Truthfully, Clint just wanted to be cuddled by Tony and Steve, given comfort from Bruce and Thor, joke around with Natasha and Bucky, and then go to sleep in Phil’s arms. That wasn’t _too_ much to ask for…. Was it? Plenty of people asked for more and got it, and sometimes that stuff was pure bullshit and greed. At least Clint’s was from basic human needs and emotions….. Okay maybe it was a little greedy, but after three months of the crap Clint went through – dammit he was allowed to be greedy!

Sighing again, Clint closed his eyes and made a hissing noise when a thump of pain went through his chest. _Goddamn fractured ribs, giving me pain when I don’t fucking need it._

With that thought in mind, Clint let himself drift off to sleep for the third time, _praying_ that his family would be there when his eyes opened again.

 

*****

Tony was having the worst day of his goddamn life (including the whole Afghanistan issue), and he only had himself to blame. Okay, Tony didn’t have himself to blame – Tony knew that it had been Clint’s choice, and _only_ Clint’s choice to join the army, and Tony also knew that Clint knew the dangers of being in the army but, _still._ Tony felt that he could have _done_ something, could have stopped Clint somehow, _I could have saved him. I could have saved his hearing. Now my boy is deaf…_

Shaking slightly, Tony stood next to Clint’s bed and looked down at the sleeping boy.

Clint looked like shit. He had casts up both arms and legs, his body was covered in bruises and bandages, his whole head white from the gauze. _I can’t even see his hair._

Steve, sensing Tony’s distress somehow (read: quite easily), wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist and pulled Tony into his chest. Sighing, Tony let his body collapse into to Steve’s, his eyes shutting as to shut out the sight of his son in pain.

Tony and Steve were on one side of the bed, standing. Phil was on the other side, sitting next to Clint’s heart monitor with his hand placed gently next to Clint’s bandaged one. Natasha, Bucky, and Bruce were all standing against the wall, watching with stone-cold eyes. Bruce was pacing slowly in front of the trio, Clint’s medical charts in his hands.

Tony couldn’t stand it though, he just couldn’t stand it. His son, the boy he and Steve and the rest of the team had nurtured for 6 _years_ was in a hospital room because a fucking building _had collapsed onto him._

It was torture!

It was torture, and there was nothing Tony Stark, billionaire super-hero, could do about it. He had to wait and see if Clint would be okay, just like everyone else.

Opening his eyes, Tony looked up at Steve, relieved at seeing the same pain as his in the soldier’s blue eyes. _I am not alone_

Reaching up, Tony pressed a kiss to Steve’s cheek and then looked back at Clint.

Watching, and waiting.

_Come on brat, wake up for your family._

 

*****

Clint woke up for a fourth time, and smiled when he noticed a sleeping Phil resting his head on the mattress, hand brushing against his cast.

Turning his head, Clint then spotted the rest of the Avengers at different places throughout the room, all asleep.

Feeling giddy, Clint grinned and didn’t even give a damn about the pain that shot through his head. _Everyone is here! I can see them!_

In his excitement, Clint kind of forgot he was injured and tried to sit up.

That didn’t go very well…

After the Doctors and nurses had left and everyone’s heart rate had gone down (Clint’s included), the team gathered around Clint’s bed.

Clint tried to smile at them, even tried to open his mouth, but was shushed by everyone at the same time.

Clint couldn’t hear them, but the hands coming up and the mouths bobbing up and down made it clear that that’s what was happening.

Nodding, Clint rested fully back against the bedding, his smile still in place.

_My family is here_

*****

It had taken a couple of weeks, but Clint was finally back at home, at the Avengers tower.

Phil smiled as the younger man squirmed on their bed, clearly annoyed at the lack of allowed movement. The two were spending the day in bed, Clint watching TV while Phil worked (as mandated by the doctor, and Bruce)

Phil was happy that Clint had decided to spend the day with him, up until now the archer had spent his days holed up in his bedroom. The Avengers had been worried at first, but the Ear-doctor that had fitted Clint with his hearing aids had said that it was normal for patients to hole up because of the noise fluctuation. Clint seemed to be doing okay for the past couple of hours, so his hearing must have finally gotten to some semblance of normal.

“Phiiiiiiiillll”

_There it is._

Phil looked away from the paperwork he was doing next to Clint, “Yes?”

Clint made a face up at Phil, “I’m booorrreedddd”

Phil chuckled and leaned over to press a kiss into Clint’s hair “You’ve been seriously injured babe, no archery range for you until you’ve completed your PT”

Clint groaned and rested his forehead against Phil’s knee, “Being in the army sucked”

Phil hummed and stroked a hand through Clint’s hair, just the way the younger man liked it “Oh I know Clint… I know”

 

*****

Clint had had a rough time at PT that day, his casts were off now, but everything still hurt - and he was feeling so disgusted at himself. _A little fucking pain shouldn’t be fucking getting you down. You’re the Amazing Hawkeye! You used to have this shit done to you every day, you used to **perform** with broken fingers! Fucking gone soft, now you can’t do jack shit!_

Clint spotted Tony in the kitchen as he hobbled his way over to the fridge for a water bottle. The older man smiled at Clint, “Had fun with the PT guys?”

Clint grunted, downing his bottle and throwing it into the garbage.

“That bad, huh?”

Clint just nodded before exiting the kitchen, not aware of Tony’s somewhat depressed expression behind him.

 

*****

Tony looked up at Steve from where his head was resting on Steve’s chest, “We need to get Clint some help.”

Steve looked down at him, “What? Are his PT trainers not helping?”

Tony shook his head and sat up, “No, not that kind of help. I mean like… emotional… help. He’s depressed Steve”

Steve frowned and sat up as well, “Okay. So I’m not the only one that noticed it”

Tony nodded, “He’s just been so hard on himself. I just…. I just want him to see that it’s okay…. You know?”

Steve nodded, “I do know. I have someone that could help him… He did wonders for Bucky”

 

*****

Clint looked at the hand that was currently being held out in front of him, wary of this stranger that had entered his home. “Sam Wilson”

Clint raised his arm after a moment of hesitation, and shook the hand, his right eye twitching minutely at the pain.

The African-American man, _Sam Wilson_ , stepped back. “Rule number one kid. Never down play your injuries. That’ll only hurt you in the long haul, trust me.”

Clint sighed, _so this is why he’s here. Why can’t Steve and Tony just leave me be? I’m fine!_ “Look… I don’t know why my dad called you here, but I really don’t need your help”

Sam just snorted, rolling his eyes. “Who said I was here to help you? Man, Steve invited me over to watch the game”

Clint blinked, _oh_

“Oh”

“Yeah that’s right. Come on, Steve said you liked hockey”

“… Yeah”

  
*****

Phil smiled as he watched Sam and Clint play basketball, both men smiling easily – something the Avengers hadn’t seen Clint do in a long while.

Clint was still in PT for his arms and legs, but was finally cleared for a little more rigorous activity, like basketball (and sex as Clint always put it).

Steve had brought Sam in as a somewhat therapist for Clint, the man being a helper for Veterans at the VA hospital. Phil remembered Tony being skeptical at first, but Phil knew that this is the man that had helped Bucky get back to baseline without the assassin ever realizing it, and he had worked his magic with Clint too.

It really was wonderful to watch.

The two men ended their game after Sam had scored yet another basket, Clint cursing him a blue streak (good naturedly of course), declaring that a rematch had to be had at a later time.

Sam agreed and turned his gaze to Phil, winking at the man before heading off to the showers located inside all of the gyms at the Avengers tower.

The wink was what caused Clint to notice Phil himself. Phil grinned and waved to his boyfriend as the man in question jogged across the floor and dropping into the seat next to Phil’s.

Clint pressed a kiss to Phil’s lips, “Morning babe”

Phil smiled at the kiss, humming as their mouths pulled away from each other. “You stink”

Clint laughed and nudged Phil’s shoulder with his own, “I was just working out – that stink is the smell of success”

Phil smiled, his heart thumping with love at the look on Clint’s face. He looked so happy, unlike the fragile boy that had been collapsed under a building all those months ago. “You smell of stinky success, that’s for sure”

Clint grinned, “And yet you love me anyway”

Phil hummed, and leaned over to give Clint another kiss.

_And yet I love you anyway_

 

*****

The Avengers were called out three hours after Clint and Phil had shared their kisses in the gym, and as Clint sat alone in bed that night, he tried his hardest to stay calm.

For the most part, Clint was doing pretty okay with everything now that he was home. He was almost back to full health, he barely had nightmares, and nobody was treating him with kid gloves, but…. Sometimes when he was alone, everything started to hit him at once.

Clint guessed it was because he was completely alone in the tower, nobody there to give him comfort when he needed.

For twenty minutes Clint tried to calm his breathing, but eventually it became too much for him, he began to have a panic attack.

His breath began to come in gasps as he struggled to fight against his memories, so many memories. While he struggled for breath, and struggled against his memories, his body was struggling against the covers, trying to get Clint to sit or stand up.

Suddenly, his door slammed open and in flew Lucky, the dog jumping up onto the bed and into Clint’s personal space.

At first the dog so close to him made Clint feel worse, his heart rate increasing as his panic only rose, but Lucky didn’t leave. Lucky gently nudged Clint’s face, licking it softly and settling down next to Clint.

For some reason, it…settled Clint. Like, Lucky was here to protect him. His pup was here to keep him safe.

He began to calm down after that, his face pressed against the yellow fur as his breathing began to go back to normal, and his heart rate decreased.

Lucky didn’t mind though, he just licked Clint’s hair and cuddled his body protectively around the archer’s, his body huffing out a breath as he laid his snout on his paws.

It took a long while, but Clint finally calmed down from his panic attack, his hand unconsciously stroking Lucky’s back.

Eventually, Clint fell asleep, his Lucky protecting him from potential threats.

The rest of the team found them that way when they got back to the Tower early in the morning after their mission.

Everyone took loads of pictures.

Clint wished he could say that he had been embarrassed, but he hadn’t.

 

*****

Phil glared a hole through Nick Fury, “Absolutely _not!_ ”

Nick just looked at Phil, unmoving. “Come on now, Cheese! Clint was _wasted_ in the army, he would be a damn perfect fit for S.H.I.E.L.D. and you know it”

Phil shook his head, pacing back in forth in front of Nick’s desk. “He’s already been hurt once, S.H.I.E.L.D. is _way_ too dangerous for him Marcus…. He’s just a ki-”

“He’s a grown man who can make his own decisions. Plus, ‘he’s a kid’? That’s the argument you’re gonna choose while you’re in a relationship on the side?”

Phil groaned and flopped into the seat in front of Nick’s desk, his head lolling and resting on the neck of the chair to stare up at the ceiling. “I’m too compromised for this shit”

Nick snorted, causing Phil to snap his head up to glare at him. “Oh calm down Cheese, you deserve to be a little compromised, you’ve worked way too hard. Besides, having Clint here at S.H.I.E.L.D. would give you an advantage”

Phil raised an eyebrow, “Oh? How so?”

Nick smiled “You can watch over him at _all_ times.”

Phil rolled his eyes, “You’re an ass Marcus”

Nick hummed, “Yes. But I’m an ass that is going to get what I want”

Phil sighed and stood up, fixing the lapel on his suit “You’re going to have to go through the rest of the Avengers first”

Nick smirked, “I can do that.”

 

*****

Tony gaped at Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. It went on for so long that Steve had to reach across the kitchen table that the Avengers were sitting at and popping Tony’s mouth closed.

Tony, being shoved out of his shock, glared at Fury “No. _Hell_ no. Absolutely not! Clint is _not_ joining S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Phil snorted and leaned back in the chair that he was sitting in, looking up at Fury standing behind him “Told you they wouldn’t go for it Marcus”

Tony watched Fury roll his eye, “It’s funny that you all think you actually have any say in Clint joining S.H.I.E.L.D. or not. That boy will do what he wants with or without you, and you know it. I just thought it common courtesy to inform you that you all might be getting a new team member”

Tony then shot up, “ _You want him on the Avengers?!!!!?!?!”_

Steve stood up next to Tony, “Sir I have to put my foot down on this issue, Clint will _not_ be joining the Avengers initiative”

Fury raised an eyebrow, “Sit your white asses down. Just because you live in a fancy tower doesn’t mean you control everything you two. The Avengers Initiative is under _my_ control dammit, and if I want a _monkey_ on this goddamn team it will happen, _without_ your goddamn say”

Tony and Steve looked at each other, both sitting down at the same time, anger (and a touch of fear) filling their hearts.

Natasha, who had been sitting quiet the entire time, turned her gaze to Fury and spoke “So. You’re asking Clint to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers?”

Fury nodded, “That’s correct Romanoff”                   

Natasha hummed, “And why do you think he’s qualified?”

Fury smiled and pulled out a chair and spun it to face him, straddling it to face the Avengers, “Well, in the three months he was in the army he had over 50 confirmed kills under his belt, and probably way more than that unconfirmed. He can shoot almost any gun known to, he’s adept at using knives, and his bow is an added plus. He speaks 13 languages, including ASL and is smart enough to be accepted into Harvard, Yale, Oxford, and Brown. He has extensive acrobatic training, and he knows several forms of martial arts. His eyesight is literally on par with a Hawk’s or an eagles, and he has a good heart. Should I go on?”

Tony had never realized that Clint could do that much. Clint was this grown man who was entirely capable of being an S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He knew how smart his boy was, but had never fully thought about the specifics. “Doesn’t he still have a contract with the army?’

Fury snorted and waved a hand, “Don’t worry about that. Contracts to stop me from getting what I want”

Tony and Steve looked at each, knowing that they were _totally_ going to lose the argument (both with Fury and with Clint).

Steve sighed and looked at Fury, “If he says no, you have to let it go – that’s the only deal I’ll be willing to make”

Fury smiled and stood up, putting the chair back at the table “That’s a deal I am more than willing to take”

Fury then left with a swish of his black coat, and the Avengers sat at the table just watching him.

_Fuck, we’re screwed._

 

*****

Clint and Kate were in the range at the tower, competing against each other to see who could take the most ‘Robin Hood’ shots in 20 minutes (Clint was winning, Kate just said she was letting him win because he just healed up all the way), when they were interrupted by Nick Fury being a fucking creeper in the back.

Resting his bow at his side, Clint raised an eyebrow at the older man “Can we help you Director Fury?”

Fury smiled and walked (stalked) forward, nodding to both Clint and Kate “Miss Bishop, would you allow me and Clint here to talk for a few minutes in private? I have something I wish to discuss with him”

Kate frowned and looked at Fury, then to Clint, and then back to Fury “I’m not so sure….”

Fury smiled, “I’m just asking him a question, and the Avengers know about it – everything is perfectly safe, I promise”

Kate narrowed her eyes for a moment, giving Fury a once over. _Man, I have the best friend in the world._ Seeming satisfied, Kate nodded and smiled at Clint “Have fun with the pirate Buttercup, I’ll see you upstairs for our movie marathon”

Both men spluttered at the nicknames that Kate had given them, both shocked and offended (Like Clint would ever get what _that!_ )

When the girl has finally left the room, both men gained their composure and turned to each other. Hawk began to dismantle his bow “You need to talk with me?”

Fury nodded and leaned against the wall next to Clint, “I have a proposition for you, and I think you’ll take me up on it”

Clint raised an eyebrow and slid his bow into its case, “We’ll see about that – go on.”

Fury hummed, “You hated the army, right?”

Clint rolled his eyes, walking over to the armory and stashing his bow case in there “Yeah. Course I did, everyone knows that”

Fury smiled and followed after him at a leisurely pace, “So you aren’t too keen to go back into battle, are you?”

Clint rolled his eyes, “There’s no way I’m heading back there”

Fury nodded and pulled out a thick folder (where he had stashed it, Clint never knew), “I’d like you to read this. When you’re done, call me and we’ll talk. Okay?”

Clint frowned but took the folder from Fury’s hands, “That’s all you want me to do? Read the stuff in the folder, and then call you?”

Fury nodded, tapping the manila folder with his fingertips “That’s all I want you to do”

Clint blinked, “Uhm… Okay”

Fury smiled to himself and left the range, leaving Clint alone with the folder in his hands.

 

~

Kate was waiting for Clint in the suite he now shared with Clint, a big bowl of popcorn already sitting out on the coffee table, ‘Inception’ title screen on the TV. Kate looked over at Clint and smiled, “Hey Extended Last name, how was your meeting with Jack Sparrow?”

Clint rolled his eyes and flopped onto the couch, his legs dangling over the arm. “It was okay. He gave me homework” Holding up the folder, Clint shook it next to Kate’s face and then brought it back down to his chest.

“Oooo homework, have at it Katniss, I’ll just be here enjoying myself”

Clint scowled up at her, “You know I still don’t know what the fuck the Hunger Games are about, right?”

Kate smirked and pressed the play button, shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth “’S why I keep saying it”

Clint sighed and rolled his eyes, already accepting the fact that he wasn’t going to be enjoying the movie. Humming, Clint opened the folder and started to read.

 

 **Stark, Clinton Francis Barton Rogers**            **  
**

**Date of Birth** : **October 12, 2001**

                   **Family** :

                             **Harold Francis Barton (Father) - Deceased**

                                      **Date of Birth** : **February 6, 1960**

                                      **Date of Death** : **October 10, 2005**

                             **Edith Lilian Barton nee Carter (Mother) - Deceased**

                                      **Date of Birth** : **April 12, 1965**

                                      **Date of Death** : **October 10, 2005**

                             **Charles Bernard Barton (brother) – Deceased**

                                      **Date of Birth** : **June 16, 1995**

                                      **Date of Death** : ~~**December 10, 2014**~~

                             **Anthony Edward Stark (adopted father)**

                                      **Date of Birth** : **May 31, 1975**

                                      **Date of Death** : **N/A**

                           **Steven Grant Rogers (adopted father)**

                                      **Date of Birth** : **July 8, 1920**

                                      **Date of Death** : ~~**September 11, 1942**~~

                                      **Date of Death** : **N/A**

                   **Body Descriptions** :

                             **Gender** : **Male**

                             **Hair Color** : **Blond**

                             **Eye Color** : **Blue**

                             **Eyesight** : **20/4**

                             **Height** : **5’10”**

                             **Weight** : **180 lbs.**

                             **Identifying marks** : **Scars covering both arms, legs, and back.**

** Sexuality: Bisexual**

** Current Partner: Senior S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson**

** Past Partners: Barbara “Bobbi” Morse**

** Known Aliases: Clint Barton, Hawkeye, Alpha Team Red Member #203**

** Previous Jobs: Carson’s Traveling Circus, Alpha Team Red Member**

** Known Previous Residences: 1022 Southwest Road; Waverly, Iowa. Waverly Home for Boys. Carson’s Traveling Circus. Avengers Tower; New York City, New York.**

** Known Crimes Committed: Petty theft, petty Larson, breaking and entering. [All expunged]**

** Languages fluent in: Spanish, Russian, French, Italian, Greek, Tagalog, Farsi, Greek, Ukrainian, German, Portuguese, Polish, and American Sign Language**

** Confirmed kills: [Level Eight Classified]  
**

**Guns/weapons qualified in:** Bow, crossbow, knives, broadsword, rapier, katanas, wakizashi, rifle, machine gun, pistol, auto rifle, C.A. Gunner, TD 75MM, TD3INCH, , MM-RIFLE-D, SS-RIFLE-D, SS-SMALL BORE, SS-PISTOL, SS-AUTO RIFLE, SS-MACH.GUN, SS-HOWTIZER, SS-T.S.M.G., EX-RIFLE-D, EX-SMALL BORE, EX-PISTOL, EX-AUTO-RIFLE, EX-MACH.GUN, EX-HOWTIZER, EX-T.S.M.G., EX-BAYONET.

                   **Martial Art forms known** : Tae Known-do, Karate, Mixed Martial arts, Nguni stick fighting, Judo, Boxing, Wrestling, Ju-jitsu, Krav Maga,

                   **Other** : Advanced acrobatics skills, superior tactical knowledge, High School diploma, previous army experience, compassion

                   **Recommendation** : S.H.I.E.L.D. specialist, potential Avengers Initiate

Clint blinked as he finished the last page, closing the folder and staring up at the ceiling. _Fury wants me to be an S.H.I.E.L.D Agent… Fury wants be to be an Avenger!!!_

Sitting up quickly, Clint looked around the room for his cellphone, he needed to call Fury. **_Now._**

“Uh… Clint? You okay there buddy?”

Clint smiled as he swung around to look at Kate, “I’m fucking great! I just need to find my phone…”

Kate raised an eyebrow, flipping up onto her knees on the couch cushion, leaning over the edge of couch to watch Clint flit around the suite. Skeptical, Kate hummed. “You never use your phone. What’s going on?”

Clint smirked as he finally found his phone, scooping it up off of the ground “I’m practically an Avenger that is what’s going on!”

Kate blinked “Whaaaaaat?”

Clint winked and keyed in Fury’s number, pressing the phone to his ear and waiting for the phone to start ringing.

Fury picked up after five rings “Barton?”

Clint hummed, flopping onto the couch next to an amused Kate. “That’s not my last name sir”

“It is if your answer is yes”

Clint laughed, smiling into the phone. “Barton it is then… Sir”

“Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D. kid”


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 20  
> Life Event: Loki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I had originally planned this story to be completely after the Avengers movie. Woops. I did take most of the dialogue from the movie, but some of it was changed to fit the plot of the story, and so was the plot of the story in general.  
> Hope you enjoy!!

Working for S.H.I.E.L.D. had given a new meaning to ‘complicated fun’. Clint had worked his ass off for the last several months (and more in a literal sense than he liked), and though the work was hard, Clint really was the better for it. Clint had thought the army had been the perfect place for him: sniper duties, a love of America, and family history. It should have been perfect, but it really hadn’t been. But with S.H.I.E.L.D. Clint really found a place to belong, found a place that he could work in and feel safe with his co-workers (for the most people, there were assholes in every government job). Not only did he get to work with the best of the best when it came to the field of espionage and infiltration, he also got to spend each day with Phil (and the Avengers if they happened to be on base).

For the first few weeks, all Clint had done was sit in Phil’s office and do paperwork, and go work out in the gym. After that, Phil had become his official handler and they were off around the world doing ops together. It wasn’t a perfect definition of ‘relationship’ or ‘anniversary dinner’, but hey, they were spending time together! Yes, solo missions with Phil as his backup were some of Clint’s favorite things to do at S.H.I.E.L.D. Phil trusted Clint’s judgment, and allowed him to make decisions when needed.

However, there were times when Phil was on Avengers duty, so Clint was shuttled off to other handlers. That never went well because almost all of the other handlers were assholes. They had two settings for Clint after they read his file: spoiled rich boy, or dumb hick ex-carnie. Neither really fit Clint, nor did he like being associated with those terms – but if that’s what they wanted, well, Clint just had to supply them, now didn’t he?

Yeah, that didn’t go over with Phil and Fury to say the least. After the 5th or so complaint put into Clint’s file, Fury just gave up and pulled Melinda May out of her ground position to be his handler. The ‘Calvary’ was a scary Asian woman who didn’t take any shit. She really didn’t want to be pulled into the field, but accepted the role when she knew she wasn’t going to actually be _in the field._ Clint liked her a lot though, she treated him with respect and reminded him of Natasha. In fact, Melinda and Natasha had originally been partners – along with Phil as their handler. Clint thinks their team was called ‘Strike Team Delta,’ but he might be wrong.

Anyway, Melinda was a good handler – really had a grasp on things when the mission went to shit, and knew what the fuck she was talking about because she _lived_ it (unlike some of the other asshole handlers who had skipped their way up the ranks). Clint also really liked Melinda’s girlfriend, Assistant Director Maria Hill. She was also a badass woman who didn’t take any shit, and reminded Clint of Natasha. Seeing the two of them together was definitely a striking picture, and one that shouldn’t be missed (especially when they both get tipsy and start to get all lovey dovey).

The one thing Clint _didn’t_ like about S.H.I.E.L.D, was when he was put onto group ops. Clint was always needed in a team that had already formed tight bonds, unyielding to a newbie like Clint. So, Clint was either sitting out of the reindeer games, or he was being fucking discriminated against for liking to ‘take it up his pretty little ass’. (Clint had never told anyone about this. As much as he wanted these guys to shut the fuck up, he didn’t want the full force of the Avengers, Phil Coulson, Nick Fury, Melinda May, and Maria Hill _all_ ganging up on them to… well… kill them. It just wouldn’t be a pretty picture).

 

~

Clint had been working for S.H.I.E.L.D. for seven months, and he still had yet to score his coveted spot on the Avengers team. Clint knew it was because he had to prove himself (both to the Avengers and to Fury), and show that he was ready to handle the big leagues.

Which is why, when Fury told Clint that he was being given an extra special mission, Clint was more than eager to jump at the chance.

Clint was being sent to New Mexico to watch over Jane’s science buddy Erik Selvig, and this blue cube that they were calling the ‘tesseract’. Apparently S.H.I.E.L.D. and Howard Stark, _Grandpa. Ugh._ Had found it in the water when they were searching for Steve. For years they had never been able to really delve into whatever the fuck it was, but when they uncovered Steve, and Thor had come down – Fury decided it was time to start. After Selvig’s work with Jane and Darcy and Thor, Fury hired Selvig to look over the tesseract and get it to cooperate (or something, Clint wasn’t sure of the specifics because of ‘security clearance’).

So, at 4 o’clock in the fucking morning, Clint kissed Phil goodbye and loaded up on the quinjet for New Mexico.

He was the lead security officer for the base, making sure it was clean of anything ‘foreign,’ and to make sure the scientists didn’t die of starvation or dehydration (okay, Clint added that last part – but he knew that was definitely one of the reasons why he was here).

Clint jumped off of the jet in mid-afternoon, and strolled into the base to go introduce himself to Dr. Selvig.

The man was wearing a flannel t-shirt that had more stains on it than Tony’s oil rag, and Clint knew the man hadn’t showered in a couple of days. _Scientists are fucking weird. And smelly. Weird and smelly._ Selvig was twitching (literally) as he fluttered between one machine and the next, it was so bad that Clint really didn’t want to disturb the poor man.

Sighing, Clint put on his best ‘Science bros wrangler’ face, and walked up to the doctor. “Doctor Erik Selvig?”

The man in question jumped about 3 feet into the arm and spun towards Clint. “Who let this kid into the base? Look, I’m not in the mood to sign your astrophysics textbooks, okay? Maybe some other time, when you haven’t just gotten past security”

Clint rolled his eyes, _Jesus. 20 years old, and the man thinks I snuck in to get his fucking autograph._ “No, sir. I’m Agent Clint Barton. I’ll be watching over you and the base. I just wanted to introduce myself before I started duty”

Selvig blinked and looked at Clint, his eyes blank for a few moments. It frankly gave Clint the willies. The man’s eyes seemed a little more sunken in than they had a few moments ago, and Clint swore on Phil’s eventual grave that the irises changed color, becoming bluer than they had been moments before. The moments passed by quicker than Clint could take to analyze the doctor further, and Selvig wrinkled his nose. “Fury is allowing a kid to do security for the whole building? Not sure I should feel about that”

Clint sighed, “Fury trusts me. I won’t let you, or your colleagues, down. I’m also a close friend of Thor, Jane, Darcy, and Ian”

Selvig hummed, “Alright. Go about your business kid”

Clint rolled his eyes and headed off, already eyeing the perfect perch.

 

*****

Tony looked down at Lucky, the dog looking at his empty dog bowl pathetically.

“You know, for being Clint’s dog – the kid doesn’t feed you much. Though, that might be because he’s _never fucking here”_

Lucky gave off a soft howl in agreement and nudged the bowl with his snout. Tony sighed and gave in, stalking to the cupboard that Clint kept Lucky’s dog food in and filled the bowl to the brim.

Lucky woofed and gobbled up the food, his tail swishing cutely in excitement. Tony smiled and rolled his eyes, scratching the dog on his hide and walking out of the kitchen.

Steve was sitting on the couch, frowning at the computer screen in front of him. Tony couldn’t see what the super soldier was so angry at, but it must have been something big for Steve’s expression. Flopping over the couch arm, Tony cuddled his head against Steve’s thigh and looked at the computer, “What’s up doc?”

Steve looked down at Tony, “I understood that reference”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Of course you do. Bugs Bunny is fucking awesome”

Steve smiled and lifted one hand to run his fingers through Tony’s hair, “I was just hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s mainframe”

Tony snorted, “Knew Jarv was giving you computer lessons”

Steve huffed, “Anyway. I was hacking into their mainframe because of reasons-”

“You’re checking up on Clint” Tony interrupted.

_“Reasons”_

Tony chuckled, “Man. Most people would think I would be the one hacking into their server, you my dear are sneaky”

Steve rolled his eyes, “Sure, sure. But anyway, I’m checking through their mainframes, and I’m not sure I’m liking what Clint is doing”

Tony sat up a bit, “What is Clint doing? He wasn’t allowed to tell us, something about security clearance? Even Phil was tight-lipped about it”

Steve nodded, “I didn’t get much. Fury’s gotten smart and started to put all of their stuff on paper”

“Damn. There went my afternoon”

“All I can find is that Clint is in New Mexico”

Tony’s eyebrows raised, “New Mexico? Why the hell is he in New Mexico?”

Steve shrugged, “No clue. The closest thing I could think of was that was where Thor first came to Earth. But other than that I have nothing”

Tony frowned, “Being a parent to an S.H.I.E.L.D. agent sucks”

Steve laughed and closed his laptop, setting it aside and pulling Tony’s back against his chest  
  
“Don’t I know it”

 

*****

Clint had been in New Mexico for exactly and month and a half, and he was fucking bored. All he was doing all day was sitting in his perch and watching the overworked (and probably underpaid) scientists scurry around the room like meerkats trying to figure out what the blue cube actually did. Seriously, Clint had absolutely nothing to do. He had fixed all of the flaws in the security system, he had retrained all of the security agents, and he was pretty sure the scientists were looking at the tesseract all wrong.

Clint had watched Tony and Bruce a lot over the years, and had picked a few things about the scientific method and how it was a load of bullcrap. Another thing that Clint had picked up from the Science Bros (but mostly Steve), is that sometimes these guys were so stuck in science and math that they forget that there is space outside of their little box, and end up missing information that was right in front of their face.

Sighing after another failed attempt on the Selvig’s part to keep the bratty cube asleep, Clint jumped out of his perch and went on a quick security check about the place.

The halls were quiet at this time of night (well, morning actually. If one wanted to call 4:30 AM morning). Most of the agents were either sleeping in their bunks, or they were working in the lab on whatever else the base is working on besides the tesseract. It was at times like this, when Clint had nothing to do, that he really began to miss his dog. Not Phil, not Tony or Steve or Kate or Nat or anyone else. Lucky. His pizza loving companion that could be as quiet as Clint needed him, or he could fill the room with noise if he sensed Clint needed the distraction. Scratching at his hair, Clint was making a mental note to fill out a requisition form for resident gerbil for Clint to play with when he sensed someone behind him.

Tensing his shoulders, Clint didn’t still as he walked down the hall – keeping his pace even as he tried to sense where this mystery attacker would be coming from. Clint knew the guy (or girl, or whoever) was behind him, Clint just didn’t know which direction. Closing his eyes, Clint took a deep breath and stilled in the hall – almost like he was pausing to take a breath, than scan for potential enemies. Allowing his body to relax, Clint finally heard the squeak of a shoe right behind him to his left, and swinging the knife out of his boot, spun to face his attacker.

“Phil!”

 

*****

Phil had been following his archer for the past ten minutes, knowing the younger man had sensed him, but was just trying to pinpoint exactly what direction Phil was coming from.

Phil knew when Clint had finally spotted him, and kept his presence extremely unthreatening as Clint spun around to face him. The knife in his hand cluttering to the ground when Clint spotted that it was Phil stalking him.

“Phil!”

Phil smiled and walked forward; his face all business, but his eyes sparkling in delight. “Hello Agent Barton”

Clint, catching on as quickly as he usually did, swooped down to pick up his knife. His own business (grumpy cat, as Tony puts it) expression on his face. “I didn’t know you were on base sir”

Phil nodded, “Fury requested I come out to check up on things, I wanted to check in with you first”

What had really happened was that Fury was sick of not hearing anything from the scientists, the same monotonous things from Clint that Fury knew was bullshit, and Phil’s pining. So Fury had decided to smother three birds with one stone, and shoved Phil into a quinjet to New Mexico to check things out and report back to Fury himself.

Clint’s eyes sparkled at the news as he and Phil began to walk down the hall, “So I’m guessing that means you want a full debrief, sir?”

Phil smirked, knowing where Clint was going (in the same damn direction as Phil), “Yes. A full debrief is exactly what I was aiming for”

 

*****

Clint rested his head against Phil’s chest, curling the chest hair he found there around his fingers.

“Have I ever told you how much I love your privileges?”

Phil chuckled, “Many times. Luckily, I always enjoy hearing them, you do tend to come up with a new one each time”

Clint smiled at sat up, “Guess I should give you a real sit-rep down?”

Phil hummed and sat up, “Let’s get some clothes on first. I can’t take either of us seriously with come splattered on our stomachs”

Clint laughed and hopped off of Phil’s bed to clean up and put on some clothes.

 

~

Phil looked at Clint, “What do you mean the scientists are doing it wrong?”

Clint rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, his head lolling against the back of the chair. “I said they _might_ be doing it wrong. Not that they _are_ doing it wrong”

Phil raised an eyebrow, “Please do elaborate on why some of the greatest scientific minds in the world would be doing their chosen professions wrong”

Clint sighed inwardly, _yes Phil. Treat me like I’m an idiot._ “It’s no big deal, just forget I said anything”

Phil glared at Clint, “Oh no you don’t. You tell me what the hell you’re talking about”

Clint sighed out loud this time. “They’re just…. Not treating her right, ‘ts all.”

Phil blinked, “She?”

 _And this is why I keep theories to myself._ “She”

“….. Please elaborate”

Clint hummed and began to fiddle with the strap on his cargo pants. “She’s kind of like a car, or my bow, or a ship. They tend to have a mind of their own half the time” _Though this one probably does have a mind of her own. Or a master that isn’t on our end._

Phil nodded, “Ah. That’s what you meant”

Clint gave Phil his own nod, unwilling to go further into detail. “Yeah, that’s what I meant”

Phil smiled, “Great. Now, tell me more about the security system. Fury wants to know all of the changes you made and who he should fire”

Clint felt his eyes go bright at the change of topic. “Okay, so get _this_ shit….”

 

*****

Tony walked into team movie night with a big bowl of popcorn, the movie still on the play screen. “Is it unusual to anyone else that the Avengers haven’t been called out since Clint left for New Mexico? Is it only me that finds that a little suspicious?”

Flopping down onto the couch next to Steve, Tony plopped the bowl onto the coffee table and looked at the rest of the team. “….Well?”

Natasha hummed, “I had thought about that. But I considered it more of a blessing than a curse. You shouldn’t look gifted horses in the mouth, Stark”

Tony rolled his eyes, “The Trojans can suck my dick. But _seriously,_ I don’t like how quiet the bad guys are being. Makes it seem like something big is gonna happen, you know?”

Steve sighed and shoved a handful of popcorn into Tony’s mouth, “You need to stop being an idiot. Everything is fine Tony. Now enjoy movie night before Natasha and Bucky go on their mission to Russia tomorrow and Bruce to his Doctors without borders thing”

Bruce rolled his eyes, “That’s not exactly what I’m doing Steve”

Tony snorted as Steve blushed, “Sorry Bruce. It was the closest thing Jarvis could associate it to”

Bruce smiled; “It’s okay. I just like pulling your chain”

Tony laughed and then choked when Steve shoved another handful of popcorn down his throat.

 

*****

Clint sighed from his perch as he watched the scientists work for the billionth day in a row (okay, so that was a huge exaggeration – sue him). The only thing that kept Clint frown shooting Erik Selvig in the foot was Phil and a shot at the Avengers. Literally. Clint had even brought the gun out and aimed it at Selvig’s foot and Phil had just happened to be passing by and stopped him with threats of not being on the Avengers team.

It sucked, this assignment. It truly sucked.

Luckily, nothing as cavalier as boredom would stop him from noticing Phil strolling through the room, ‘Agent Coulson’ checking everything over to report back to Fury.

Clint looked down over the edge of his perch just as Phil reached the line Clint used to scale down.

“Agent Barton?” Phil looked up at Clint, amused.

“Yes sir?”

“May I request your presence on the ground? I have some things we need to discuss”

Clint knew what they meant. That meant Phil was done with his paperwork, knew Clint was bored and had nothing to do, and had decided having wild sex in their barracks was the best thing to do with their lunch hour.

Nodding, his Agent Barton persona still in place, Clint scaled down the line and landed next to Phil. “Lead on, sir”

Phil nodded and turned to the doorway, exiting the room and heading toward their barracks.

Clint couldn’t help but covertly watch his ass while they walked.

 

*****

Phil blinked at Selvig, “I beg your pardon?”

Doctor Erik Selvig, one of the smartest men alive (not including Tony or Steve), shook his head. “The tesseract isn’t cooperating”

Phil sighed and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, “Go on”

“We turned off the machine, and it turned itself back on when we were all at lunch. Nobody was in the room…”

Phil felt his head jerk up, _well that’s different._ “Are you saying the tesseract turned itself on? She turned herself on without _anyone’s_ help?”

Selvig nodded, “Yes… uh. _She…_ turned herself on without anyone touching her. It’s very disconcerting”

Phil sighed and picked up his cellphone, “Get back to work Selvig. I have some calls to make”

Selvig nodded and stood up, exiting Phil’s office.

Fury picked up after two rings, “You already gave you debrief Cheese, what’s-?”

“We may have a problem sir”

“….. Well goddamit”

 

*****

Clint frowned as the urgency in the scientist’s movements around the tesseract. Something was wrong, Clint could tell – but nobody would discuss with the ‘security help’ what was going on. _Bigots are everywhere, isn’t that just lovely?_

Clint had frowned when Selvig had left the room, unused to the doctor leaving his work in the middle of the day without force. The doctor had looked shaken, like he had either seen a ghost, or had drunk too much cappuccino for the day.

It was weirder when the man came back in the room, he had undergone a personality shift. Gone was the shakiness, the looseness in the man’s shoulders, and the exited thrum that covered his body in what Clint only assumed was the biggest boner for science. In their place was place, chalky white skin. Sunken in eyes, and a slight narcissist tilt to his shoulders.

Clint rolled his eyes, _you just had a sciencegasm, didn’t you? Was it with your own hand, a robot, or someone else doc?_

After a few minutes, the cockatoo attitude left, and Clint relaxed back into his perch, satisfied for the moment.

That moment was brief however, when the whole building began to shake.

Standing up, bow at the ready, Clint watched in shock as the tesseract seemed to… _pulse._ And the whole building shook once again.

Pulling out his cellphone, Clint called Phil “We need to evacuate. Immediately”

“Already on it. Stay safe”

Clint smiled, “I will. You too”

“I will”

Clint hung up the phone.

 

*****

Tony wrinkled his nose as Steve rolled his eyes at him, for the third time. “Come on, Stevie! Revamping the tower for everyone when they get home will be the _perfect_ thing! Pepper thinks it’s a great idea, and she never likes any of my ideas”

Pepper hummed, scooping down to pick up her rambunctious three year old, Tyler. “It’s true Steve. I usually think Tony’s ideas are plain stupid. This one is actually a good idea”

Tony, stuck between outrage at his ‘stupid’ other ideas and pride at how good this one was, simply glared at Pepper. Sticking out his tongue (purely for Tyler’s benefit, _of course_ ), Tony gave Steve puppy dog eyes. “Please Stevie-poo? I’m sure the tower will be done by the time everyone gets back”

Steve sighed, “Alright Tony, alright. You sold me. Have fun with your pee-pee tower”

Pepper snorted and bounced Tyler, “You can say dick Steve. He doesn’t understand it at all yet”

Tony laughed as he watched Steve expression, and the mere fact that both of them used the words ‘pee-pee’ and ‘dick’. It was fucking hilarious!

“I love my tower”

“You love something, that’s for sure”

“And the moment was ruined. Screw you Pepper”

Pepper just gave a soft cackle and left the room.

 

*****

Phil was waiting out front of the New Mexico base for Fury and Hill to get off of their helicopter. He didn’t what the hell was going on, but he hoped that it would either blow over, or that they could fight it somewhat easily.

Fury and Hill jumped off the helicopter and Phil stepped forward, his trademark sunglasses covering his eyes from any debris the whirring helicopter might kick up.

Fury looked at Coulson, “How bad is it?”

Phil pulled off his sunglasses, “That’s it sir. We just don’t know”

Fury nodded and the three agents began to walk towards the building.

Phil kept up the pace, as he watched the agents begin to scramble out of the building, “Dr. Selvig read an energy serge from the tesseract four hours ago”

Fury carefully didn’t pause in his stride. “NASA didn’t authorize Selvig to test the tesseract”

Phil mentally rolled his eyes, _yeah but you did._ “He wasn’t testing it, he wasn’t even in the room. Spontaneous advancement”

Hill raised her eyebrows, “It turned itself on?”

Phil nodded as Fury spoke again. “What are the reading levels now?”

Phil hummed, “Climbing. When Selvig couldn’t shut it down, we ordered the evac.”

Fury nodded, satisfied. “How long to get everyone out?”

Phil looked at him, “Campus should be clear in the next half hour”

Fury nodded and stormed ahead, calling over his shoulder “Do better”

Phil carefully didn’t sigh and turned in the other direction to try and get things moving.  
  
*****

Clint was sitting in his perch, very much aware that the agents were all evacuating while the scientists refused to nudge.

The sight of Nick Fury entering the room didn’t surprise him at all, but he did pay close attention to the scene Fury and Selvig were having.

“Talk to me, doctor” the man boomed out. _God I love the echo in the room. Perfect for eavesdropping without people knowing…. Well, except for Phil – but he knows everything._

Selvig turned to Fury and nodded his head, “Director”

Fury turned to the tesseract and nodded to the blue cube, “Is there anything we know for certain?”

Selvig nodded and went closer to the cube, “The tesseract is misbehaving”

Fury raised an eyebrow. _Oh shit Selvig, you’re in trouble now._ “Is that supposed to be funny?”

Selvig shook his head, “No, it’s not funny at all. The tesseract is not only active, she’s… misbehaving”

Fury made a contemplative face. “How soon until you pull the plug?”

Selvig looked up at Fury, “She’s an energy source. If we turn off the power, she turns it back on. If she reaches peak level…”

Fury sighed and cut Selvig off. “We’ve prepared for this, doctor. Harnessing energy from space”

Clint rolled his eyes, _and yet you still haven’t told Thor about it. Idiots._

Selvig shook his head once again. “We don’t have the harness. Our calculations are far from complete. Now she’s throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation”

Fury blinked at him. “That can be harmful”

Clint thought about poor Bruce and nodded. Yeah, that can be harmful.

Fury sighed again, and pointed behind him. “Where’s Agent Barton?”

Selvig blinked. “The Hawk? Up in his nest, as usual”

Fury nodded and pressed the button for the comm unit in his ear. “Agent Barton, report to me”

Clint hummed in affirmative and stood up from where he was sitting. Scaling down his line, Clint walked over to Fury.

Fury looked at Clint and the two began to walk closer to the tesseract. “I gave you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things”

Clint shrugged while they walked. “I see better from a distance”

Fury hummed, and Clint knew he was rolling his eyes mentally. Fury then looked over at Selvig, still speaking to Clint. “Are you seeing anything that might set this thing off?”

Clint was about to speak when one of the scientists rushed over to Selvig, “Doctor, it’s spiking again.”

Clint sighed. “No one’s come or gone. Its oven is clean. No contacts, no I.M.’s. If there was any tampering sir, it wasn’t at this end.”

Fury looked at Clint. “At this end?”

Clint shrugged, _hell might as well tell your theories now. Nobody else can explain what the fuck is happening._ “Yeah, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? The doors open from both sides”

Fury blinked in what could only be seen as a ‘aha!’ moment, when the tesseract pulses again and a huge ray of light shoots to the ceiling.

All of the scientists gasped and ducked, leaving Fury and Clint standing up and watching.

It took only a moment, but suddenly a man jumped out of the tesseract and landed on the ground.

Everyone stilled as they watched the man get up, a long spear held tight in his hand.

Fury called out to the man. “Sir, please put down the spear!”

Clint looked at Fury, _did you seriously expect that to work?!?!?!!_

The man looked over at Fury and Clint, smiled, and raised the spear – a bolt of blue light shooting out of it.

Fury and Clint both ducked, standing immediately and pulling out weapons.

The man looked at Clint, and before Clint could raise his weapon; the man smiled at Clint. “You have heart”

The man pressed the spear to Clint’s just and then all Clint knew was his lord, Loki – and the color blue.

 

~

Hawkeye watched his master swan about the room, controlling other people in the room with a touch of his scepter, taking in the room and his plans for escape. _I can help you with that master._

Hawkeye watched Nick Fury try to take the tesseract out of the case, and opened his mouth to warn his master.

Loki swung around, not needing Hawkeye’s interference. _Of course he doesn’t._ “Please don’t. I still need that”

Nick Fury put the tesseract into a case, “This doesn’t have to get any messier” _Fury is stalling._

Loki smirked, “Of course it does. I’ve come too far for anything else. I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.”

Selvig spun around, “Loki? Brother of Thor?”

Hawkeye blinked at the name. _T-thor?_ Loki growled at the doctor and the memories that had begun to swirl in Hawkeye’s head disappeared.

Fury stepped forward, “We have no quarrel with your people…”

Loki smirked, “An ant has no quarrel with a boot”

_Nicely put sir._

Fury raised an eyebrow, “You planning to step on us” _Fury is stalling. He knows something is wrong…… The building! It’s about to blow, I must warn master._

Loki hummed, “I come with glad tidings, of a world made free” _That sounds beautiful sir._

Fury frowned, “Free from what?”

Loki grinned. “Freedom. Freedom is life’s great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart…” Hawkeye found himself nodding, a pleasured noise escaping his throat when Loki brought Erik Selvig under his control.

“You will know peace”

Fury grimaced. “Yeah, you say peace, I kind of think you mean the other piece”

Hawkeye stepped forward. “Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blow. Drop a hundred feet of raw material, he means to bury us”

Fury looked at Hawkeye, a sadness in his eyes that Hawkeye didn’t understand. Fury nodded, “Like the Pharaohs of Odin”

Selvig, at his computer once again, nodded. “He’s right, the portal is collapsing in on itself. You got maybe two minutes before this thing goes critical”

Loki looked at Hawkeye, the man preened under his gaze. “Drop him.” Loki nodded to Fury.

Hawkeye smiled and raised his gun to shoot Fury, but something inside his jumped and he only shot Fury’s shoulder. _Master won’t be pleased._

Hawkeye shook off his disappointment and grabbed the suitcase from Fury and left the room, leading the others out to the garage.

 

~

Hawkeye walked out towards the vehicles, nodding to the jeeps in front of him. “We’ll need those vehicles”

Loki nodded and jumped into the trunk, Selvig heading to the passenger side with the suitcase.

Hawkeye was about to get into the driver’s seat, when Agent Hill stopped him. “Who’s that?”

Hawkeye looked at her and shrugged, “He didn’t tell me”

Hill frowned at him, but Hawkeye just kept going to the driver’s seat.

All of the sudden, Hawkeye hears a quiet, “Hill, do you copy? Barton is…”

Hawkeye spun to kill Hill, something in him jumping and throwing off his aim once again.

Hill rolled and began to shoot at him, but Hawkeye jumped into the car and began to drive out of the base.

Hill must have followed them a moment or two later because Hawkeye’s car was being shot at. _Nothing must hurt master._

Spinning the car around, Hawkeye begins to drive backwards as he shoots at Hill’s vehicle, stopping her from hurting his master.

Her car spun out of control and Hawkeye spun the jeep back into the right position and drove out of the base

 

*****

Phil watched at the building collapsed, his hand pressing the button on his walkie talkie to try and connect to Fury. “Director? Director Fury, do you copy?”

Phil waited a few moments before the talkie crackled, and Phil sighed in slight relief when Nick answered. “The tesseract is with the hostile force. I have men down. Hill?”

Phil waited and sighed a little more in relief when Hill crackled on too. “A lot of men still under, don’t know how many survivors” Phil felt his heart rate pick back up. _Is Clint okay?_

Fury hummed, “Sound the general call, I want every living soul not needing rescue looking for that briefcase.”

Hill hummed, “Roger that” and clicked off.

Nick crackled onto the talkie. “Coulson, get back to base. This is a level seven. As of right now, we are at war”

Phil frowned, “What do we do?”

Fury sighed. “We fight if we have to”

Phil nodded. “Sir? Is… Agent Bar-?”

“Loki took him Cheese. I’m sorry”

Phil felt his heart break in half. “R-roger that sir”

“We’ll get him back Cheese.”

Phil nodded, “Or die trying” and clicked off his talkie.

 

~

Phil was dreading pulling Natasha and Bucky off their op with Luchkov, but knew they would be back immediately once they heard what happened to Clint. _Oh god Clint, I hope you’re okay._

Phil took a deep breath and steeled himself, dialing the number for Luchkov’s cell phone. The man answered and before he could even take a breath, Phil was speaking. “Put the woman on the phone, or I will blow up the block before you can make the lobby”

Phil’s threat must have been taken seriously, because he heard shuffling and then the sound of a phone being pressed between a shoulder and a cheek. “We need you to come in”

Natasha took a breath, “Are you kidding? I’m working”

Phil knew she was talking about herself, and Bucky who was across the street with his rifle. “This takes precedence.”

Natasha sighed, “I’m in the middle of an interrogation and this moron is giving me everything”

Luchkov must have said something because Natasha made a soft snorting noise. “Look, you can’t pull me out of the right now”

Phil took a deep breath, this had been what he was regretting. “Natasha, Barton’s been compromised”

Phil winced at her intake of breath. “…Let me put you on hold”

Phil nodded and waited for her to beat the ever loving shit out of her captors. It took a minute and 13 seconds. _They must have tied her up, usually she doesn’t need those extra 13 seconds._

Natasha took a deep breath, and Phil knew that she was done. “Where’s…. _Barton._ Now?”

Phil closed his eyes in pain, “We don’t know”

“But he’s alive?”

Phil shuddered to think otherwise, but had to tell Natasha the truth. “We _think_ so. I’ll brief you on everything when you get back. But first, we need you to go get the big guy”

Natasha sighed, “You know Stark doesn’t trust me as far as he can throw me”

Phil gave a wince. “I’ve got Stark…. You have Banner”

Natasha took in a deep breath, and Phil felt sympathy for her too. Phil may be dealing with a potential distraught father (two including Steve), but she _did_ have to deal with a Banner that was getting a real vacation for this first time in _years._

Today was going to suck.  
  
*****

Tony stood inside the tower with Pepper, the readings for his arc reactor powered building on the display screen. Pepper smiled at Tony and looked at the tiny display building, “Levels are holding up… I think”

Tony winked, “Of course they are, I was directly involved. Which brings me to my next question. How does Happy feel being married to a genius?”

Pepper rolled her eyes and smacked his chest. “Well, I wouldn’t know, would I?”

“Awww, com one Pep! All of this came from you!”

Pepper raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. _Uh-oh, she’s gonna hit me with a pillow or something, I should duck now._

“Oh no, Tony. All of this came from that” Pepper tapped her fingernail against the arc reactor in his chest.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Give yourself some credit. Avenger’s tower is officially your baby. Other baby. Give yourself… Twelve percent of the credit”

Pepper’s jaw dropped, “Twelve percent?!”

Tony smiled and shrugged, “An argument can be made for fifteen”

Pepper smacked Tony’s chest and walked away, “Twelve percent for my baby?”

Tony skipped after her, smiling, “Well I mean, I did do most of the heavy lifting. Literally, I lifted all of the heavy things. But I’m going to pay for that percentages thing later, aren’t I?”

Pepper raised her eyebrow at him. “Ohhh I’m not gonna be that subtle”

Tony snorted and flopped onto his couch. “I’ll have Steve protect me”

“Not if I can get him on my side first”

Tony gasped at her in mock outrage, “You can’t have my husband turned against me!”

Pepper chuckled as the elevator doors opened, “Just watch me Tony”

Coulson stepped out of the elevator, “Stark. Pepper”

Tony frowned, “Why is she Pepper, and I’m Stark?”

Coulson shook his head, “Not now Tony. We have a problem,” Coulson walked over and set a folder next to Tony, “We need you to look that over. Natasha and Bucky are on their way to get Bruce right now. Steve should be at the tower within the next hour or so”

Tony frowned and opened the folder, “The tesseract? Jesus, didn’t my dad work on this?”

Coulson nodded, “It’s been taken…. We’re going to need all our manpower to get it back”

Tony flipped through the pages, taking mental notes. “Got it…. Hey, weren’t you with Clint?”

Looking up, Tony caught a pained look on Coulson’s face. “Uh…. Agent Agent?”

Coulson sighed, “Clint was…. Clint’s compromised”

Tony blinked, “What in the hell does that mean?!”

Coulson shook his head, “The video file is in the folder….. It’s better for you to watch it alone…Or with Steve”

Tony gulped and nodded, “Got it…. Pepper, why don’t you fly out to D.C. tonight. Take Happy and Tyler for a trip around the city?”

Pepper nodded, “I will. You have some major homework to do…. Phil, would you happen to be driving past the airport to take us?”

Coulson nodded and the two of them left in the elevator.

Tony pulled out the flash drive that had the video on it and put it into the computer.

 

*****

Hawkeye was watching Selvig work on the tesseract, his arms crossed over his chest, when he a wind blow against his neck.

 

_~ You must go to Stuggart, Germany. There is going to be a party going on, but you must have a distraction to get into the hidden vault inside. There you will find the Iridium that is what Selvig needs. You will need to use an eyeball to get into the place that they hold it ~_

 

Shaking his head, Hawkeye let the voice trail down his back and disappear.

Selvig turned to look at him, an astounded look of awe on his face. “Where did you find these people?”

Hawkeye shrugged and grabbed a tiny screen and brought up a file of the iridium, lifting the screen up to show it to Selvig. “S.H.I.E.L.D. has no shortage of enemies, Doctor. Is this what you need?”

Selvig nodded, turning back to the tesseract. “Yeah, Iridium. It’s found in meteorites, it forms anti-protons. It’s very hard to get ahold of”

Hawkeye scoffed at the Doctor’s lack of knowledge of just what Hawkeye could do. Rolling his eyes instead, Hawk drooled out, “Especially if S.H.I.E.L.D. knows you need it”

Selvig glared at Hawkeye, “Well I didn’t know!”

Loki chose that moment to walk up to the two men, his eyebrows raised in question.

Hawkeye and Selvig immediately bowed their heads in deference to their master. The man nodded, and gestured for Selvig to speak.

The Doctor grinned, “The tesseract is showing me so much. It’s…it’s more than knowledge, it’s truth.”

Hawkeye, annoyed at the Doctor’s talking, walked over to his bow case and whipped out his beloved weapon.

Loki smirked and walked closer the tesseract. “I know,” Loki turned to Hawkeye. “What did it show you Agent Barton?”

Hawkeye turned to look at his master, whipping his arm to extend the bow. “My next target”

Loki grinned in delight and Hawkeye inwardly preened. “Tell me what you need”

Clint hummed, “I need a distraction. And an eyeball.”

 

*****

Tony was muttering under his breath about the video footage of Clint at the New York base, when he got a call from Steve.

Pressing the button his Stark phone, Tony glared at Steve. “What?!”

Steve took in a deep breath, “What the hell crawled up your butt and died Tony?”

Tony sighed, “Sorry, sorry. I just, saw something really upsetting”

Steve made a sad noise, “Are you alright?”

Tony hummed, “I’ll be fine, hopefully. What’s up?”

“We’re heading to Stuggart, Germany. Apparently that’s where Loki is heading with the tesseract to find some Iridium or something”

Tony nodded, “I’ll be there in two hours”

“That’s what I had hoped for”

 

~  
Tony noticed Natasha and Bucky flying a jet through the air, Steve and some dude in green (Tony assumed it was Loki) fighting on the ground.

“You know Jarvis, I think I need something to pump me up.”

Jarvis made a sighing noise, “Shall I put on your usual sir?”

Tony smirked, “You know me so well”

Jarvis made another sighing noise, “Indeed I do sir”

Tony smirked as ACDC’s _Highway to Hell_ began to play over his speakers, and started blasting loudly around the city of Stuggart.

Tony laughed and contacted into the comm unit inside the jet. “Agent Romanoff, Barnes. Did you miss me?”

Nat just sighed as Tony swooped down to the ground next to Steve, “Hey baby”

Steve just rolled his eyes affectionately while Tony turned to Loki. “Make your move, Reindeer games”

Loki looks between Tony, Steve, and the jet, slowly sticking up his hands. Tony nodded, “Good move.”

Steve sighed and cuffed Loki behind the neck, dragging him away and onto the awaiting jet.

 

Tony and Steve loaded Loki onto the jet and away they went.

It seemed too easy for Tony’s tastes, but sometimes life was that easy.

While Loki sat on a seat in handcuffs, Tony nodded to Steve and walked him closer to Nat and Bucky. “That asshole right there has Clint under his control”

Steve gasped and made an aborted gesture towards the man, only stopping to take a deep breath and settle his nerves.

Tony nodded and took Steve’s hands in his robotic one, “Yeah I feel the same way.”

All of the sudden, thunder began to jerk the jet. Blinking, Tony looked around, “Is that who I think it is?”

Both men turned to look to the hangar of the jet where they were sure Thor would be coming in from. While their gazes settled, Tony caught sight of a worried look on Loki’s face. Nudging Steve’s stomach with his elbow, Tony jerked his head towards the god of mischief.

Steve raised an eyebrow, “What? You afraid of a little thunder?”

Loki looked up at the ceiling, “I’m not too overly fond of what follows”

Tony rolled his eyes as Thor slammed down into the quinjet. “Brother!”

Steve smiled, “Yeah we found him. Too bad he killed 80 people in the process”

Thor sighed and shook his head, “He’s adopted.” Tony snorted as Thor came forward and gripped Loki by the nape of his shirt, “You stop this foolishness, brother! You come home!”

Loki jerked out of Thor’s grasp and sat back down. “I have no home, _brother._ You forget that we share no blood or kinship”

Thor glared, but refused to speak further, simply turning away from Loki and looking at the rest of his team. “Tell me all that my brother has done, besides the death of those 80 people”

Tony nodded and began a full debrief.

 

*****

Phil walked into the briefing room on the hellicarrier behind the rest of the Avengers and sat them all down at the huge table, Fury standing behind him next to Maria Hill and Melinda May.

The Avengers looked at Phil, “Okay guys, Here’s a full debrief. Three days ago on the dot, Loki came through a portal in the tesseract, mind controlled four of our best agents and Doctor Selvig, and then disappeared. Clint and Loki were next seen in Stuggart, Germany – where they were successful in succeeding in collecting the Iridium that they were after. Right now, he’s locked up in a highly secure chamber, one that can even hold the Hulk. After that, we have nothing”

Thor sighed and looked down at the table, “Loki has an army of an alien race called the Chitauri, that none of Asgard nor any world know. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. Return, I suspect, for the Tesseract”

Steve sighed and rubbed at his face, “An army, from outer space”

Phil nodded, “Yes that’s correct. We believe he’s using Selvig-”

Bruce interrupted, “They’re creating another portal. That’s what he’s using Selvig for…. And Clint to collect the supplies”

Phil nodded, his jaw tightening. “Exactly”

Fury and Hill walked forward, “Now that that’s settled, here’s the plan-”

An explosion suddenly rocked the room, titling everything sideways. Phil and Natasha gasped and looked at each other, both speaking in unison. **_“Clint!!!”_**

 

*****

Hawkeye smirked as the explosion shattered the engine of the hellicarrier, gesturing his men as they all dropped down onto the huge vessel.

Hawkeye gestured to his men, pointing out the key locations for where the most agents would be scrambling about. “Move out!”

The men all ran off to wreak havoc, Hawkeye himself being spurned towards where his master was waiting for Hawkeye to release him.

Following the tesseract’s lead, Hawkeye traveled through the hellicarrier, taking down agents as he went, trying to find his master.

 

*****

Tony fell against Steve went an explosion rocked the ship, his eyes going wide when he realized that it had been their son that caused it.

Steve pulled Tony up and grabbed his hands, “We need to suit up!”

Tony nodded and they both ran off, Tony to his cargo space for his suit, and Steve to his small room where he kept his uniform.

Tony quickly suited up and met Steve outside of the hellicarrier, observing the damage to the engine.

Tony was hovering in midair, taking in the scene to see how he could fix it. Steve ran out onto the edge and called out over his comm, “Tony, I’m here!”

Tony nodded, “Good. See what we got”

Tony flew closer to the engine and began to take a closer look. “I gotta get this super conducting cooling system back online before I can access the rotors and work on dislodging the debris”

Steve hummed an affirmative over the comm and jumped to see the control box that worked with the engine.

“Steve baby, I need you to look at the control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position”

Tony waited a few moments, “what’s it look like in there?”

“It seems to run on some form of electricity”

Tony rolled his eyes, _not a time to be sarcastic babe._ “Well, you’re not wrong”

Steve sighed, “The relays are intact. What’s our next move?”

“Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won't re-engage without a jump. I'm gonna have to get in there and push.”

Steve gasped, “Tony you could get hurt, you’ll be shredded!”

Tony rolled his eyes and got next to the rotors, “Then stay in the control unit and reverse polarity long enough to disengage mag...”  
“Tony! Speak English!”

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes once again. “See that red lever? It'll slow the rotors down long enough for me to get out. Stand by it, wait for my word.”

Tony waited for Steve to jump for the red lever and began to push the rotors to kick start the engine. It got to the point that Tony thought they could restart the engine, “Cap, need a lever”

Tony heard the sound of grunts and flesh hitting flesh. _Shit, he’s fighting._ “I need a minute Tony!”

Tony felt himself fly a little backwards than the rotor he was pushing, he was gonna get shredded if Steve didn’t pull the lever. “Steve! Lever!”

Tony slams back against the rotor behind him and slides down, getting stuck underneath and going in circles. “Shit…. Need…. Help…. Ow….”

Tony heard Steve give a grunt and suddenly he was given some leeway, allowing Tony get out from underneath the rotors. “Thank you baby!!”

“Go on Tony, get inside and keep fighting!!”

Tony grinned and flew off to get his way inside the hellicarrier once again.

 

*****

Phil knew that now was the time to make the sacrifice play. Clint was taking the hellicarrier down piece by piece, and the only way to stop him would be to take down the asshole, Loki. Heading over to armory, Phil grabbed the biggest Phase 2 weapon he could find, one that he knew would be disastrous, but not in which way.

Slinging the weapon over his shoulder, Phil made his way to the room in which they were holding Loki, knowing Thor had already made his way there to confront his brother.

When he got into the room, Thor was in the hulk chamber and Loki was outside of it, his fingertips hovering over the button that would release the chamber down out of the hellicarrier.

Loki was smirking at Thor, “The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?”

Phil growled in his head and stepped forward, “Step away please”

Loki spun towards Phil with a glare, it morphing into a smirk quickly. “My little Hawk’s mater, how quaint that you try to fight me. Do you think that weapon is going to stop me?”

Phil felt his nostrils twitch at Loki’s name for _his_ Clint. His face, however, remained unmoved. “Do you like it? We started working on this when Thor first came into town, even I don’t know what it does. Want to try it out?”

Phil was just about to pull the trigger on the weapon when a shredding pain ripped into his chest and heart, a huge gasp escaping him as he watched Loki’s spear rise out of his chest. Phil heard Thor’s roar as the scepter was ripped from his chest and he fell to the ground, the phase two falling into his lap.

Loki smirked and walked over Phil’s body, heading over to the control panel for the hulk cage and pressing a few buttons, laughing as Thor fell out of the hellicarrier and through the air.

Loki hummed and turned around, a smirk on his face and he began to walk out of the room.

Phil turned to look at him, “You’re gonna lose” he pushed out weakly, the blood seeping from the corner of his lips.

Loki turned to look at him, his eyebrow raised. “Am I?”

Phil nodded, “It’s in your nature” _The bad guys always lose. Too much bad filling their hearts and clouding their minds._

Loki scoffed and turned fully to Loki. “Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?”

Phil gave Loki a bloody smile. “You lack conviction”

Loki’s nostrils flared, his eyes blazing. “I don’t think I-”

Phil finally pulled the trigger, knowing that it was his last chance to stop Loki. The gun shot a bolt of light and knocked Loki into the nearest wall. Smiling, Phil rested his head against the structure behind him, “So that’s what it does.”

Phil began to float about in space, coming out of it when he heard the call from Fury for someone to handle Clint. Phil felt relief when Natasha took the call, and gave off a strangled sigh.

That sigh must have alerted Fury to Phil’s pain because suddenly Fury was in front of him, smacking his cheek.

Phil looked up at Fury, his image blurry. “I’m sorry, boss. The guy rabbited”

Fury growled and smacked Phil’s cheek again. “Just stay awake. Eyes on me”

Phil shook his head slowly, “No, I’m clocking out here”

Fury hissed, “Dammit Cheese, that’s not an option”

Phil smiled. “It’s okay boss. I understood what I was doing, you can let me go. Just watch over Clint okay?”

Phil waited for Fury to nod slowly before allowing the blackness to take him over. _I’ll see you soon Clint. Just not **too** soon, okay?_

 

*****

Hawkeye was stalking through the hellicarrier when he felt a pain in his head, a sharp shooting pain that threw him back a few steps. _My master, he’s been hurt…_

Shaking his head, Hawkeye found new found determination to get to Loki, jogging across a bridge that he remembered being a shortcut.

He was stopped short by Natasha Romanova blocking his movement across the bridge.

Hawkeye sneered at the Russian, his bow coming out for attack.

The Russian, or Black Widow as she is known, struck out at him and the fight was on.

The Black Widow got the bow out of Hawkeye’s hands immediately, causing the man to grab the knife in his boot.

Hawkeye growled and spun it at the Widow, going in for the attack.

The Widow smirked and swung over to a parallel bridge, Hawkeye jumping over and following.

The fight got dirtier after that, almost childish if Hawkeye was thinking about it.

Hawkeye and the Widow were almost in each other’s arms, Hawkeye had a hold on the Widow’s hair, and her teeth were attached to his arm.

Hawkeye let out a shout and pushed the Widow away, his arm clenching in pain. _She’s gonna pay for that._

Hawkeye was about to go for another attack when the Widow punched him down to the ground.

Another sharp pain went through his body, and this time everything began to come back into focus.

Clint gasped and felt real emotions for the first time in four days. Looking up at Natasha with wide eyes, Clint couldn’t believe the sight of her. “A-aunt Tasha?”

Natasha shook her head and kicked Clint, effectively knocking him out.

 

*****

Tony, Steve, and Bucky were all back inside the hellicarrier when Fury came over their comms. “Agent Coulson is down”

Steve and Tony gasped, both looking at each other in shock. _No, not now Phil. Why? Clint has finally come back to us… Shit, he’s gonna be devastated._

Tony began to scrub at his hair, pacing back and forth. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Goddamit, fuck….”

Steve pressed his hand to Tony’s hand and rubbed his thumb against Tony’s knuckles.

Bucky looked over at Tony and sat on the table, “Is this the first time you’ve ever lost a soldier?”

Tony sneered at Bucky, _“We’re not fucking soldiers!”_

Steve hushed Tony and cuddled him against his chest. “Shhh. Shh, Tony. Bucky didn’t mean it like that…”

Buck nodded, “Sorry Stark. I know you and Phil weren’t soldiers… Sometimes I can’t get out of that mindset, you know?”

Tony sighed and rested his head against Steve’s chest. “Yeah I know, no apology necessary Bucky… I just…. I feel so bad for Clint. He’s gonna be fucking trashed at the end of this”

Steve nodded and rubbed calming circles against Tony’s back. “It’s okay, Tony. Everything is gonna be okay, I promise”

Tony nodded and stood back up. “Okay, okay, enough of the sap. Steve, you need to go get Nat because we have to set out for Manhattan, that’s where Loki is headed from what I can get from tracking him”

Steve nodded, “I’ll head out now. You two should get into your suits”

Both men nodded and set off to do just that.

 

*****

Clint cam awake to blues, pinks, and purples. Almost like his life were the negatives to a picture.

Shaking his head, Clint tried to get himself into focus, only half hearing Natasha’s soft calling of his name.

Everything came into focus a few minutes later. Natasha pressed her hand against Clint’s tied-down one. “Clint, you’re gonna be alright”

Clint gulped and looked at her. “Is that what you know? I got… I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out”

Clint shook his head again, maybe if he did it enough Loki would disappear forever.

Natasha sighed. “We don’t have that long, it’s gonna take some time”

Clint growled and threw his head back against the bedding his was lying on. “I don’t understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?”

Natasha hummed, forcing Clint to look at her. “You know that I do.”

 _Oh yeah. Red room. Forgot about that._ Shaking his head, Clint frowned. “Why am I back? How did you get him out?”  
Natasha smiled and patted his hand. “Cognitive recalibration I hit you really hard in the head.” Natasha then untied Clint from the bed and helped him sit up.  
Clint nodded and took in a deep breath, “Thanks.”

Clint stretched his muscles as Natasha sat next to him. Clint looked over at her, a question weighing heavily on his mind. “Tash… How many-?”

Natasha cut him off. “Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is nothing we were ever trained for.”  
Clint sighed and shook his head, standing up. “Loki, he got away?”  
Natasha sighed, nodding slowly. “Yeah. I don't suppose you know where?”

Clint shook his head. _He never told me anything I didn’t need to know._ “I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today.”  
Natasha nodded. “We figured that out. We gotta stop him.”  
Clint nodded. “You know, if I put an arrow in Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better I suppose.”  
Natasha smiled and stood up to stand next to Clint. “Now you sound like you.”  
Clint sighed fondly. “Natasha.”  
Natasha rolled her eyes and shoved Clint. “You reek, go get cleaned up”

Clint made a face at her, “Aren’t you a bunch of roses” Taking a whiff of himself, Clint realized she was right and slipped into the bathroom to take a shower.

~

Clint finished his shower and had redressed, rubbing a towel between his hands to get some feeling back into his fingertips when he heard Steve outside in the room.

Clint smiled, _Steve… Pop!_

Clint heard Steve speak to Nat, “I know you can fly the jet. But we need someone qualified for-”

Clint stepped out and smiled wearily at Steve. “I’m qualified on every airplane S.H.I.E.L.D.’s got. I’m your man”

Steve looked over at Nat in what Clint assumed was a, ‘am I allowed to hug my boy or should I take a step back’.

Natasha nodded and Steve rushed over to Clint to pull him into his arms. Clint smiled and cuddled into Steve’s chest, feeling at home for the first time in what felt like forever.

“God Clint, we’ve all been so worried”

Clint smiled and pulled away from Steve. “I know. I’m sorry I let-”

Steve growled, “If you try and insinuate that this was in any way your fault, I _will_ have Tony disinherit you”

Clint laughed, “Okay, okay. Didn’t you say something about flying?”

Steve nodded, “Yeah. We have a war to fight”

 

*****

Tony fell through the sky after pushing the bomb through the space portal, and crashed into the ground with the Hulk cuddling him in his arms.

He was currently unconscious, but one roar from his Jekylly science bro, and Tony was gasping in a breath and looking around.

Tony looked around the beat up city and spotted Steve next to him, sighing in relief Tony closed his eyes. “What happened?”

Steve took a deep breath before giving Tony a soft kiss, “We won”

Tony smiled and just breathed for a while. “Woo-hoo. I say we get a mandatory 48 hour rest before we debrief. But before that we should get schwarma. I’ve never tried it before, but Clint told me about this good place down the road and I think it would be a great Avengers celebratory meal”

Thor chuckled as he crouched down next to Tony, “I believe we have to deal with my brother first”

Tony nodded. “And then schwarma?”

Steve chuckled, “Yes, Tony. And then schwarma”

 

*****

Clint looked around the wrecked Schwarma place that he had infrequently went to with Kate during high school, his leg resting on Natasha and Bucky’s chair, surprised that the damn thing didn’t break under the weight.

They had won the battle and sent Loki to sit in a secure S.H.I.E.L.D. holding that _this_ time he wouldn’t be getting out of. Clint sighed and wondered at what costs did they win. New York was in tatters, S.H.I.E.L.D. needed to rebuild, and the Avengers themselves were exhausted.

Clint, thinking about the Avengers, turned to look at the group. “So…. Does this mean I’m finally a member of the Avengers?”

The whole group looked at Clint for a minute or two, before bursting out into laughter.

Steve whipped a tear from his eye and smiled at Clint, “Yes you are _definitely_ a member of the Avengers Clint”

Clint smiled and fist pumped. “Score! I can’t wait to tell Phil!”

As quickly as the mirth went into the table, it went away from the table. Clint frowned as the team looked at him with sadness and pity in their eyes. “Uh… guys? Is everything okay?”

Tony sighed and stood up, walking over to Clint’s seat to crouch next to him, Steve following and doing the same. “Clint, baby, we’re _so_ sorry”

Clint blinked, “What are you sorry for?”

Tony and Steve looked at each other, both taking deep breaths before looking back at Clint. Steve placed a gentle hand on Clint’s thigh, “Phil died in the attack Clint. Loki killed him with his scepter…..”

Clint blinked.

………………………………… Oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just something cool for you all to know:  
> In my original thought process, I was going to include the scene where Tony and Loki are fighting in Avengers tower. Well, what I was gonna do when Tony is thrown out of the building and come back up, instead of just saying "and there's someone else you pissed off. His name is Phil" I was going to add to it, "And he was gonna be my son-in-law you son of a bitch" but I just didn't have the energy to write the whole scene in.  
> 


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 21  
> Life Event: Dealing with Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was a little later than the rest of the chapters! My computer died the day before Thanksgiving (last Thursday for my peeps who don't celebrate the holiday, or have no concept of time like I do) and I couldn't write the chapter, and when I finally got a new computer, my muse was stop and go. But here it is! We have 3 more chapters and a promo for my new fic in the series left for this bad boy! Thank you all for being so patient!
> 
> Also: I am not a trained psychologist, so if I get anything wrong, it's because of that reason.  
> Also Also: I know that Clint may be wishy washy with how he deals with the death of Phil, but just remember that people deal with death in many different ways, and this is how I believe this AU Clint would deal with it. Thank you!

Clint woke up with a gasp, his chest heaving as he tried to chase away the nightmare.

He had been having a lot of nightmares lately. Each nightmare getting progressively gorier as the months passed since the Battle of New York... Since Phil had been killed. 

It's _all your fault. You killed him. You killed **everyone.**  How do you live with yourself?_

Clint growled and threw himself out of the bed. Self-disgust turning in his stomach as he paced back and forth. /fuck me. Fuck, fuck, fuck. God, I should stop with the pity fest; Phil hated them. 

"Sir?"

Clint sighed and titled his head up to the ceiling. "Yeah Jarv?"

The AI hummed, "Would you like me to contact one of the members pf the Avengers to come and sit with you while you sleep? Your therapist /did/ mention that body-to-body contact would be the best way to get you to rest when you've had a nightmare or episode....."

Clint sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed wearily. _I'm not even 21 years old and I've had the weight of the world on my shoulders for WAY too long._ "No Jarv, I wouldn't want to bother anyone"

"It would be no bother sir, everyone has expressed to me that they will be on call at all times to sit with you. It would be no problem to any of them."

Clint sighed heavily. "No Jarv, I'm fine. Seriously"

Clint heard the AI carefully /not/ sigh as he logged off. "As you wish, sir"

Clint looked at the crème coloring of his walls, remembering the day he and Phil had the changed the color from purple to what it was now.

 

_Clint had pouted up at Phil. "Come **on** baby, purple isn't **that** bad. I happen to quite like the color!"_

_Phil had rolled his eyes and pinched Clint on the nose. "It's an ugly eggplant shade, and you know it. Also, that pout makes you look like a five year old..."_

_Clint had made a face and looked to the paint cans Phil had set down. "Okay, so the purple **is** ugly... But **crème**? Seriously Phil?!"_

_Phil had huffed. "Yes, **crème**. It's a good color that fits both of our needs. Now start arguing with me and help, you might even get an award for it"_

_Clint's eyes had sparkled at the mere thought of reward sex. He had immediately picked up a paint brush and the two men had finished the room within a day_ /

Clint, when finally pulled from the flashback, found that tears had leaked from his eyes and streaked down his face in burn marks of shame and regret.

Falling backwards, Clint grabbed the pillow that Phil had used to sleep on, still tinted with Phil's scent even after all these months, and curled his body around it. Squeezing his eyes shut, Clint allowed only a fear tears to slip through.

"I miss you," Clint sobbed softly. "I'm so sorry"

 

*****

 Phil looked up at his therapist, “When will my memory come back?”

The therapist, a middle-aged woman that came out of retirement as a personal favor to Marcus, sighed and raised a hand up to her glasses back firmly onto her nose. “Like I have said, _everyday,_ for the past _3 months_ Phillip; I don’t know. Nobody knows if your memory will ever come back. It’s one of the side effects of the experimental surgery you were given on your chest”

Phil sighed and leaned back in his chair (not a couch because this therapist doesn’t believe in comforts when dealing with pain. _Fucking bitch)_

“Right, but why can’t I stay with the people I lived with before I got hurt? Surely that might job my memory, being around all those familiar things…”

The therapist sighed again (she really hated Marcus for forcing Phil on her) before huffing. “And, _once again_ Phillip, nobody knows that you are alive. Remember Mr. Fury explained this all to you? We don’t want to raise anyone’s hopes”

Phil frowned disappointed, but satisfied that he wouldn’t be getting any information that session.

The therapist smiled and sat back in her chair, “Now that we’ve got that done with – tell me about your latest PT session”

Phil sighed and began to talk about his hatred of Physical Therapy.

 

*****

Clint trudged into the kitchen wearing a hoodie and a pair of Phil’s sweat pants from his beginning days as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent – all thrown haphazardly onto his body.

The rest of the crew were all there, sitting at the table; waiting for him.

Clint raised an eyebrow as he reached the coffee pot, “Can I help you guys with something?”

Steve, chosen speaker (once again) put on his best ‘I am Captain America and I can make puppies love me without blinking’ smile, and shook his head at Clint. “It’s not what you can help us with. It’s what _we_ can help _you_ with…”

Clint blinked for a few seconds, turning towards the coffee pot and pouring the sweet nectar of the gods into the cup. He took a few careful sips before turning back to the team, “Is this an intervention?”

Tony snorted and shook his head, “Nah. We were saving that for the 6 month mark, right now is only 3 months. We were all just wondering what you wanted for your birthday?”

Clint froze. **_Birthday?_** _Oh hell… I guess it **is** my birthday next week… _

Clint looked at the group and shrugged his shoulders. “’m not picky – anything is fine with me I guess”

Bucky, of all people gasped indignantly. “No _way,_ you little shit! It’s your **_21 st_**birthday! Everybody has to do something special and alcoholicy for their 21st birthday! Hell, Steve and I were poor as fucking dirt when we each hit 21, and we _still_ had special alcoholicy birthdays!!”

Steve sighed as he looked at Bucky. “I thought we agreed never to mention my 21st birthday ever again?”

Bucky turned to Steve and cracked a wicked Cheshire cat like grin, teeth pointed sharp and everything. “…..Whoops?”

Steve huffed, “Shove it up your ass Barnes – whoops nothing.”

Bucky just cackled as he turned back to Clint. “Seriously squirt though, 21st birthdays are supposed to be special”

Clint shrugged once again as he stared into his coffee mug. “Not really a big fan of alcohol…”

They all knew the reason why, and they all tended to try and stray from the topic.

“Yes,” Natasha said as she stood up to head to the coffeepot. “And as such, we should _all”_ she turned to glare at the men still sitting at the table, “respect his wishes”

Clint smiled into his mug as the rest of the male population of the room blushed and turned away trying to feign nonchalance (it wasn’t working, they were all scared to death of Nat).

Nudging Natasha with his elbow, Clint smiled gratefully at her “Thanks Tasha”

Natasha just smiled, “It is the least I can do for my favorite литл берд”

Clint chuckled, used to the affectionate nickname and looked back at the Avengers sitting at the kitchen table.

 

*****

Phil smiled at Marcus (Nick Fury is they were talking in public) and took the coffee mug that the older man was offering him “Thanks Marcus, I appreciate it”

Marcus simply nodded and sat down next to Phil on the bench that Phil had claimed as his own at the center he was in. Phil didn’t know why he loved the bench so much, or why it gave him such stirrings of would be memories. Phil felt safe on this bench, felt safe and loved for some reason that he couldn’t identify just yet.

“So…” Marcus began. (That was never a good sign, it usually meant Phil had got himself into some sort of trouble…. _Again…)_

“So?” Phil prompted.

“So, I hear from your therapist that you keep asking some questions that have been answered, over and over again”

Phil sighed and took a sip of his coffee. For a moment the scent of the coffee gave him a sensory flashback. All Phil saw was a pair of callused hands handing him coffee in a Captain America mug. _Hey, I like Captain America!_ Phil didn’t know who the hands belonged to or who this guy was (guy?) but whoever it was, with the way Phil’ heart contracted at the mere thought of his hands, Phil knew it must be someone he loved…. And who loved him in return.

Phil had been getting quite a few of those sensory flashbacks. The therapist had told Phil that he shoulder consider these a good sign, but Phil truly did hate them. He hated the fact that he couldn’t remember more about these flashes, couldn’t remember who it was he loved so dearly, and loved him so much in return.

“Cheese? You okay? You spaced out on me?”

Phil blinked and looked at Marcus’s amused expression, realizing he had been talking to Phil but getting no response, and smiled sheepishly at him.

Marcus just rolled his eyes, “Don’t bother Cheese. Just answer me this, are you gonna stop asking the nice therapist who I paid a shit load of money to come out of retirement to oversee you those questions?”

Phil hummed and thought about it for a moment. “No… She annoys me quite a bit, so I’m going to keep asking those questions, just to keep the balance”

Marcus stared at Phil for a few moments before barking out a laugh. “And _there’s_ some of the Cheese I know and love! You’re improving by the hour kid…”

Phil smiled a bit sadly. “I wish I could improve by the minute instead”

Marcus smiled and clapped Phil on the shoulder as he stood up for the bench. “Me too Cheese, me too”

 

*****

Clint didn’t like any of his missions with S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore, he didn’t like going on base or talking to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Clint barely tolerate going out with the Avengers on their missions, and sometimes he even hated sitting in Avengers tower. Clint knew that that he was just being moody, but everything was just _so_ different without Phil that Clint really couldn’t handle it.

As clichéd as it sounded, the light went out of his life the moment he had found out that Phil had died, and he had been struggling for the past three months to try and find the spark to rekindle it.

Missions definitely weren’t the same without Phil. As much as he enjoyed Melinda, the fact that she was now his primary handler just felt wrong to him. (Especially after he tried to kill her girlfriend, but Melinda and Maria had told him up front that they didn’t blame him, and if he tried that ‘martyr bullshit’ they were going to kick his ass). Clint got by in those solo missions, but only barely. The Avengers stuff wasn’t so bad. He got to work with his family, the ‘dream team,’ the super heroes that the world adored. The whole thing was tattered by the lack of Phil on the scene in his ear (and the lack of Phil in his life, truthfully).

The group missions were, by far, the worst. The men on those missions had always treated as inferior because of his bisexuality, or like a dude who slept his way to the top because of his relationship with Phil, but now… Now ‘traitor’ was his only characteristic, and these guys treating him like one had almost gotten him killed on _more_ than one occasion (thank fuck Fury had finally realized and wised up enough to pull him from those missions).

All in all, Clint really just wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and die, but Tony had refused to let Clint wallow away so… No trips to the Grand Canyon are anywhere in Clint’s future any time soon.

Clint just wished there was a way to turn off his emotions and memories without hurting himself. Clint knew, more than anything in the world that Phil would _never_ forgive him if Clint hurt himself to try and forget Phil – or to be with Phil for that matter.

Sighing, Clint signed his name to the bottom of his sit rep form and walked his down to Hill’s office to turn it in, an official Avengers handler to turn their forms into having not formally been decided yet.

On the way Clint passed by Phil’s old office. The sight of the door with its huge imprint on the door made Clint’s heart clench dangerously as his mind shoved him into a flashback.

_Phil was strolling down the hallways, his nose stuck into a huge ass pile of paperwork. Clint had been following him in the vents, smiling lovingly as his boyfriend continued to miss every obstacle thrown in his way, even while extremely distracted._

_Phil finally looked up when he reached his office, his hand going to the inside of his jacket pocket to slip out his key card to unlock the door._

_Clint grinned and crawled his way into Phil’s office and jumped down, falling onto the couch in front of Phil’s desk that Clint considered ‘his’ couch._

_The man in question opened his door, his nose already tucked back into his files, so distracted by the paperwork that he didn’t notice his boyfriend as he walked to his computer desk and sat down._

_Clint would have been shocked and a little frightened that Phil’s special awareness wasn’t on high alert and that he didn’t know the archer was there but, Phil had told Clint that Clint never triggered Phil’s spidy senses because of how safe Phil felt around him, which gave Clint happy little flutters in his heart._

_So, Clint was content to wait until his boyfriend finished his paperwork and they could go home, or maybe out for dinner (it was their 6 month anniversary after all)._

_It took a long while for Phil to realize that Clint was in his office… and napping._

_The archer had fallen asleep at some point, and was now curled into a cute little ball on Phil’s couch (actually it was probably Clint’s couch by now)._

_Phil looked at the clock on his computer and saw that it was 4:30. Smiling at his now nonexistent stack of paperwork ( **suck it Marcus walking in the halls while doing paperwork is both efficient and a good use of multitasking** )._

_Humming, Phil set an alarm on his watch for 6:00 and walked to the couch, lying down next to his boyfriend for a cuddle_

_The two both awoke to the sound of Phil’s alarm. Smiling, Clint turned and pressed a kiss to Phil’s lips. “I guess you got your work done?”_

_Phil nodded and smiled._

_Clint grinned and nodded in return, rolling off the couch. “Good. Home or out?”_

_Phil sat up and stretched his arms above his head. “I picked up the latest Star Trek movie that you wanted to see earlier. So… take out?”_

_Clint grinned and nodded, “Take out.”_

_Phil smiled and stood up, grabbing the coat that he had taken off for the nap as he headed out his door._

_Clint followed Phil and kicked the office door shut behind him, (Trust S.H.I.E.L.D. to be weird and have doors that opened **outward** instead of inward). _

_At Clint’s kick, the door gave a **crunch!**_

_Turning quickly, Clint felt his eyes go really wide at a Clint’s foot shaped mark in the door, the wood/plaster littering the ground. Clint immediately spun back around to Phil and began to babble an apology, but the older man just shushed him with a kiss._

_“Calm down babe, that door is flimsy as shit after that incident a month ago. Remember when one of the R & D scientists went postal and began to make everything disintegrate? My door got a partial hit… I’m actually surprised that that hasn’t happened before now”_

_Clint smiled gratefully, sighing in relief as he followed Phil out of the building._

Clint gulped as he was brought back from his memories. He wanted to go home, and he wanted to go home **_now._**

Rushing to Hill’s office, Clint thanked every star in the fucking sky that she wasn’t in her office, and neither was her secretary to ask him why he was so close to tears as he dropped off his sit-rep. Sniffing, Clint threw the sit rep down on Hill’s desk and ran out of the building.

_I miss you so much Phil._

 

*****

Tony sighed and flopped his head onto Steve’s shoulder as they watched Clint in the shooting range at S.H.I.E.L.D. from the observer’s deck. The archer had been training with his bow for hours, never stopping or taking a break.

“Steve, he’s tearing himself apart… We have to do something, seriously”

Steve hummed and raised his hand to stroke his fingers through Tony’s hair absently. “People deal with death in many different ways Tony. Some good, and some really bad. As coping mechanisms go, I think Clint is doing pretty well… Though, if you really think he needs help, I can call Sam. Those two haven’t talked in a while, not since Clint was in New Mexico anyway.”

Tony hummed as he turned back to Clint, his eyes narrowing at his son’s lack of arm guard. _You so sure about those coping mechanisms Stevie?_

Shaking his head, Tony nudged Steve’s chest with his nose, “Call Sam. I would at least know Clint was in good hands if Sam was helping out”

Steve nodded, “I’ll give him a call tonight”

 

*****

Phil sighed as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes closing.

The therapist stood up from her desk and sat down next to Phil. “Okay Phillip, Mr. Fury has finally approved me to try a new technique on you”

Phil frowned and peaked open one eye to look at her. “What is it?”

The therapist clucked her tongue, “No peaking and I’ll tell you”

Phil made a face and closed his eyes again.

“Very good Phillip, now I want you to relax completely. Let your body sink into the chair while your mind goes to your happiest place”

Phil took several deep breaths as his body fully sunk into the chair.

His mind, his most active place, fluttered about crazily trying to find where he felt most centered. Phil had assumed that he would have gone to that little bench outside, the one that he called his own and no one dared to try and claim, but that wasn’t where he went.

His mind went to a place that he didn’t actually know. Or, at least, he didn’t know _now._ It was a bedroom.

The walls were a crème color, and there were posters on the wall. Phil couldn’t exactly identify the posters, but he knew that he was proud of them for some reason.

Phil was laying on a bed covered with a fuzzy purple blanket, soft to the touch. It felt like a home to Phil, one that he didn’t want to leave.

“Okay,” The therapist spoke again, breaking his relaxed concentration slightly. “Are you in your happy place, relaxed?”

Phil nodded slowly.

“Good. Now, what I’m going to be doing is somewhat controversial. Some doctors say it doesn’t work, and some swear by it. Truthfully, I believe it only works if the patient wants it to work. I’m going to be using hypnosis to try and bring back at least some of your memories. Is that okay Phillip?”

Phillip nodded slowly once again.

The therapist hummed, “Alright. I’m going to be giving you some directions, but for the most part this is all you. Are you ready to begin?”

Another nod.

“Alright Phillip. You’re in your happy place. I want you to explore as best you can. If you can’t see everything clearly, that’s okay – just really visualize and take in what you can see”

Phil once again visualized the bedroom.

Phil took in the texture of the purple blanket, the fuzziness soft to touch, and really nice to roll around on. _He used to love rolling on this blanket._

Phil jerked at the thought but continued to explore the room, taking in the walls and the furniture. As he got farther into the room, Phil could clearly see that half of the posters were old Captain America posters, vintage and worth a fortune to a collector (like him). The other half of the posters were murky, only showing blurry shapes and murky purple colors.

_“Okay Phillip. You’ve explored your happy space. Now, I want you to walk forward until you find a door. Go on”_

Phil didn’t need to try too hard to find the door, all he had to do was turn around and there it was.

_“Once you reach the door I want you to open the door, what do you see? Don't say it out loud. Just explore”_

Phil opened the door and came face to face with a hallway, music playing off in the distance.

Phil frowned as he walked down the hallway, taking in the doors that he knew lead to somewhere. Phil would have explored those rooms, but he knew the music was important, that music was going to give him something concrete.

_“Okay Phillip. You’ve explored the other side of your door for a bit. Now I want you to tell me the most prominent thing that came from going into the door.”_

“Music” Phil whispered.

_“What kind of music?”_

“Club music. Pop”

“ _Do you know what the song is? Can you tell me a few of the lyrics?”_

“It’s something by Katy Perry. Fireworks?”

_“Very good Phil, very good. Keep exploring”_

Phil did just that, continuing down his hallway. Now that he recognized the tune playing, he knew that it was coming from a kitchen. _There’s a radio in the kitchen, he loves to listen to the radio._

Phil jerked once again at the thought of ‘he’. Who _is_ ‘he’? What does ‘he’ mean to me?

Continuing his search, Phil eventually found his way to a door that he knew lead to the kitchen, Phil reached out his hand to open the door.

_“You’ve explored a little bit more Phillip. Tell me, where are you?”_

“Kitchen”

_“Kitchen? Whose kitchen?”_

“Ours”

_“Ours? Who is that Phillip?”_

“M-me….and him.”

_“Do you know who ‘him’ is?”_

Phil shook his head. “No”

_“That’s okay Phillip, you’re doing great. Is there a door to the kitchen, or is it wide open?”_

“Door”

_“Open the door Phillip, there must be a reason why you found yourself at the kitchen”_

Phil knew why, it was because of the music. Phil finally grasped the handle of the door and opened it, letting himself into the kitchen.

It was a bright and airy place. A wooden table sat to the corner in front of a huge glass window looking over central park, a kitchen island to the left of that, with the rest of the kitchen even further to the left. In the back there looked to be a huge pantry, and there, right next to the oven, was the radio. The song had changed to something from Bruno Mars, Phil couldn’t identify the song, but Phil knew that he hated it. _He hates this song because it had been his and Bobbi’s song._

Wait… Who was Bobbi? And why did Phil feel something ugly stir in his belly at the thought of her name?

_“Are you in the kitchen Phillip?”_

Phil nodded.

_“What do you see?”_

“Regular stuff. The radio”

_“Radio? Is that where the music was coming from?”_

Phil nodded again.

_“Very good. Now, do you see the other person that owns the kitchen?”_

Phil shook his head.

_“Do you think he’s in there at all? Or do you need to go further to find him?”_

Phil looked around the room. “I-I don’t know. Sometimes I can’t tell where he is”

_“That’s all right Phil. Why don’t you explore the kitchen some more and find out?”_

Phil nodded and went further into the kitchen, _maybe he’s in the pantry…_

Phil walked through the kitchen and opened the pantry door to look inside. Whoever Phil was looking for wasn’t there, just a tipped over box of macaroni. _He must have been called out…_

Called out to where?

_“Did you find what you were looking for Phillip?”_

Phil shook his head.

_“Alright, let’s keep looking. Exit the kitchen”_

Phil turned around and exited the pantry, and then the kitchen. He stepped out into the living room and looked around.

The walls were the same crème color as in the bedroom, but there was splashes of purple coloring all around the room. _Purple is his favorite color_

Shuffling over to the couch, Phil sat down onto the leather cushions and sighed peacefully. _I picked out this couch, this is my favorite couch._

_“Okay Phillip, you’ve explored some more. Have you found who you’ve been looking for?”_

Phil shook his head, “He had to leave”

_“Are you sure?”_

Phil nodded, “He was needed”

_“Okay. Would you like to keep exploring, or would you like this session to be over?”_

“Explore some more”

_“Alright then. Go ahead”_

Phil stood up from the couch and continued his search.

 

*****

Clint looked over at the group of people standing in his bedroom doorway and groaned. “ _Guys!!_ It’s 7 o’clock in the morning for fuck’s sake! Go away!”

Tony (the evil ringleader of course), ignored Clint’s protests and practically skipped his way over to Clint’s bed and plopped down onto it. “No way, brat. It’s your birthday! Wake up and smell the roses!!”

Clint glared at Tony and kicked him in the hip, sending the billionaire sprawling onto the ground. “I hate roses”

Tony rolled his eyes from his place on the floor, “You’re just a bundle of sunshine this morning, aren’t you?”

Clint huffed and pulled his covers up and over his head, turning his back on the group in a symbol of ‘hey, this is me, sleeping; fuck off’.

Steve and Bucky apparently weren’t having any of that nonsense, because as quick as Clint had turned away from his friends, it was even quicker that he was stripped of his bed and standing up (flanked by two huge super soldiers, but that was a given).

“Rise and shine buddy!” Steve gushed.

Clint scowled at Steve and yanked his arms away from the men, “I’ll rise, but I won’t shine!”

Bruce laughed, “Glad to see you’re up to date on your Tennessee Williams”

Clint rolled his eyes at the man, “I had to get me some learnin’ somehow, didn’ I?”

Bruce just chuckled and ruffled Clint’s hair when the younger man passed by him.

_Man, this is gonna be a long ass day._

 

*****

Phil’s therapist just gave Phil a look.

They had finished their latest hypnosis test, and the results weren’t negative, per se, but they definitely weren’t positive.

As much as Phil tried, he just couldn’t find the he that he was after.

He had found everything surrounding his mysterious ‘he,’ hell, he found their dog! But nothing of his lover, nothing of the man he shared his life with.

It was maddening!

Day after day, not knowing who he belonged to, who belonged to him.

It was driving Phil insane!

“Look Phillip, I know you think these exercises are getting us nowhere, but they really are helping. Look at how far your memory has come along since we started the hypno-sessions”

Phil sighed and wrinkled his nose, _she does have a point._ “I just wish I was farther along”

The therapist nodded, “Yes I understand that. Many people would feel the same way. Which is why, since you’ve been doing so well, I’ve decided you needed a treat.”

Phil’s eyes widened for a moment, “A treat?”

The therapist nodded. “Yes, a treat. You deserve it after all the things you’ve been through, and it’s even been approved by Mr. Fury… In fact, he should be here any minute to pick you up”

Phil gasped and stood up, over-joyed at the news. “Thank you!”

Turning around, Phil practically sprinted from the room to get to Marcus for his ‘treat’.

_This is gonna be the best kinda day_

 

*****

Clint felt uncomfortable in the bar that he had been dragged into (without Natasha’s knowledge of course. The men wanted Clint to have a good time, but they weren’t stupid and suicidal).

Clint looked at the glass of premium whiskey (or whatever, he wasn’t really paying attention) that Bucky has wrapped his hand around, and wondered what would have happened if Phil had been here.

_We wouldn’t be in a bar, that’s for sure. Phil would know that I hate alcohol and taken me to a nice restaurant. He might have cajoled me into a glass of red wine, but nothing like this._

Shaking his head, Clint twirled the amber liquid around and around in his glass. Thoughts circled in his head as he stared at the liquid.

_One little taste,_ the thoughts spoke to him, _one little taste will make you forget **everything.** Don’t you want to forget everything? _

Clint really did want to forget everything.

The memories of Phil.

The memories of Loki.

The guilt.

The pain.

The anxiety.

Taking a deep breath, Clint raised the glass and swallowed all of the liquids in one big gulp.

It burnt like fire down his throat, bringing tears to his eyes, but he felt like this could be the start of a _wonderful_ new relationship.

 

*****

Tony took a tiny sip of his scotch as he watched Clint sit at the bar by himself.

The boys had all come to an agreement that Clint needed to get out of the tower, shed his depressed overcoat, and enjoy himself for the first time since the Battle of New York.

To Tony, it had seemed like a good idea at first. But now…. Now it was looking like they needed to take Clint home as soon as possible.

Clint had had about 6 or 7 glasses of whiskey that Tony had actually seen him drink (who knew how many more had graced the archer’s lips when Tony wasn’t looking) since they had come into the bar, and it didn’t look like he was stopping anytime soon. The younger man was swaying slightly on his bar stool, and Tony knew that Clint would hate himself in the morning if he continued. Would hate himself, and then blame himself for being like his father (hopefully without all the hitting).

Sighing, Tony turned to the guys at their booth.

Steve and Bucky were arguing over some baseball team or another with Bruce joining in every so often to spin the argument in a different direction, and set the two men off. (Don’t let the meek, shy doctor image fool you – Banner was pure evil incarnate, and loved to mess with people. He once told Tony that messing with people without causing any pain was a huge stress reliever, and hell, Tony couldn’t argue with that. He did it all the time!)

“Guys? I think it’s time to cut Clint off…”

The sets of eyes turned to Tony, a raised eyebrow painted on each face.

_Oh, ha. Ha. Very funny. Just because I’m a reformed alcoholic doesn’t mean I want my kid to have to go through that bullcrap._

Tony rolled his eyes at them, “Don’t give me those looks. Just look at him for yourselves”

All three men turned their heads at the exact same time to look over at Clint, and if Tony hadn’t been in such a papa-bear type mood he would have found that hilarious.

Steve turned his head back to Tony first, “Tony. He’s not at the bar?”

_What?_

“What?!”

Swiveling his head, Tony saw that Clint wasn’t where he had been 10 seconds ago. Groaning, Tony jumped out of the booth and headed toward the bartender.

“Hey? Do you know where the guy sitting here went?”

The bartender shrugged, “Nope. Guy was mumbling about some dude named ‘Phil,’ and was headed out the door. Guess he’s headed back to an ex or somethin’”

Tony closed his eyes, _fuck me._

 

*****

Phil smiled at Marcus as the two men walked through Central park, the moon twinkling over their heads.

“I really appreciate the treat Marcus, seriously”

Marcus rolled his eyes and smiled at Phil, “You earned it Cheese, and the doc said you’re coming along a lot quicker than she actually anticipated. You may not be where you want to be at, but you’re definitely defying all expectations, like usual of course”

Phil hummed thoughtfully as he let the conversation go to silence, content with merely walking around the park.

This park trip may not seem like much to most people, they too used to being able to go to the little wooded area whenever they desired, but to Phil; it was amazing.

Phil had been cooped up in the hospital center that Phil had put him into for months now, his only escape the little bench he had claimed the last few months.

So, the freedom of exploring Central Park was something that Phil would never forget, and would be thankful for forever.

Phil strolled ahead of Marcus, the other man allowing him his freedom, if only for a little while.

The scene looked familiar to him, and not in the way that Phil knew what a fork and knife was…. But in a, emotional memory type of way.

Phil walked subconsciously, too lost in the sensation of memories to fully realize where he was going (with Marcus following him from a safe distance of course).

So it came to a shock to Phil when he found himself sitting on a cool bench under a smattering of trees, not unlike the one he favored at the hospital center.

Phil looked around the space, everything looking so familiar that Phil couldn’t help but trap him in a flashback.

_“Phil! Come on, I want to show you my favorite spot!”_

_Phil rolled his eyes at his companion and allowed his body to be tugged by the hand holding his, the two men fast-walking through Central Park. “Are you ever gonna tell me where we’re going?”_

_The younger man just laughed and took a sharp right, “If I told you – then it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore!”_

_Phil smiled indulgently and didn’t speak until the two men stopped in front of what looked like an old, abandoned bench._

_Phil raised an eyebrow, “Is this what you wanted me to see?”_

_The younger man looked at Phil and rolled his eyes, “Yes Phil. Don’t you like it?”_

_Phil looked at the bench, “It’s a bench. What’s to like?”_

_The younger man sighed and pushed Phil down onto the bench, flopping down next to him. “For a person so accepting, you really aren’t willing to go with the flow”_

_Phil shrugged, “I guess it comes with the job…”_

_The younger man laughed and nudged Phil with his elbow. “Ass. Come on, live a little. Close your eyes and just… relax… Okay? Can you do that for me?”_

_Phil rolled his eyes and smiled lovingly. “You’re a huge dork… But I would do anything for you…”_

_The younger man laughed again, “Well then do anything for me, and **close your eyes** ”_

_Phil sighed and did just that._

_He relaxed into the bench and he could feel the wind blowing against his cheeks softly. He could hear the birds singing and a sense of serenity around him._

_Phil gasped at how beautiful it was all was._

_The younger man laughed. “You get it now, huh?”_

_Phil smiled and opened his eyes, “Yeah. I do”_

Phil blinked his way out of his memories and looked around frantically, his body still thinking that the younger man, his boyfriend, his love, was sitting next to him.

_No, just my daydreams once again._

Phil gulped down his disappointment and laid his head back on the edge of the bench.

“Cheese? You okay?”

Phil gave a noncommittal hum and sighed when Marcus sat down next to him.

“I had another flashback. I could hear his voice, I could feel his body next to mine, but I can’t see him. I can never see him”

Marcus hummed and patted Phil’s shoulder. “One day, Cheese, you’ll see each other again – I promise”

Phil sighed and looked up at the stars.

_Come out, come out. Wherever you are. I miss you, even though I don’t remember your face._

 

*****

Clint stumbled his way out of the bar, his mind so focused of _Phil, Phil, Phil that_ he had no recollection of where he was actually going.

Clint warbled through the New York Streets, the whiskey filling his head and making him an entirely different person. No one paid him any mind, they were used to the drunks that walked the lonely way home to Central Park each night, with only the pigeons and the moon to keep them company.

Clint himself only had his memories for a partner as he tripped his way through Central Park, his subconscious pulling him to a place that he just _knew_ Phil would be at.

Their place.

Their little bench.

The place that they called their own.

Where

_Phillllllll, I know you’re waiting for me. I know it! I **know** it!_

Clint took a hard right and straightened his back up, taking careful steps to their bench – _Phil mustn’t see me drunk, and he would be so disappointed in me._

 

*****

Tony and the gang rushed out of the bar and went into pursuit after Clint.

“He can’t have gone far! He’s drunk!” Tony gasped out as he pressed buttons on his Stark Pad, alerting JARVIS to bring up Clint’s tracker so that they could find him.

“Tony, you know better than anyone just what a drunk person can do….” Steve told him gently, holding up a picture of Clint to see if people could identify him, (they could – as Hawkeye the Avenger. And no. They hadn’t seen him walk this way).

Tony shook his head, “I was a seasoned drunk – not an amateur! Where in the hell did he go?!”

Bruce laid a hand on Tony’s shoulder and squeezed softly, “Take a deep breath Tony, you freaking out is gonna help precisely no one. Besides, JARVIS has located Clint” Bruce said as he indicated to the purple dot on Tony’s screen, “He’s in Central Park. That’s not far…”

Tony sighed in relief, “Well come on fellas! Let’s go!”

Tony rushed off down the street as Bucky raised an eyebrow at Steve, “Did he just call us ‘fellas’?”

Steve shrugged, “Guess we rubbed off on him….”

Bucky hummed, “I guess so….”

The men followed after Tony and down into Central Park.

 

*****

Phil sighed and opened his eyes, finally raising his head to look over at Marcus. The man was as quiet as Phil was, his attention focus on their surroundings (but Phil knew it was really on him). Phil was content to let the silence reign for a few more moments before he spoke, “You know. It’s weird…” Phil trailed off.

Marcus turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Phil. “You care to explain that statement?”

Phil nodded and hummed, rubbing his hands along the sides of the bench. The wood felt so familiar against his skin, almost like he had laid against it, bare… With a partner on top of –

Phil shook his head, stopping the flashback in its tracks. “I think it’s his birthday…”

Marcus raised the other eyebrow to match the first one. “Whose?”

Phil rolled his eyes, “His. The guy that I was in love with. I think today is his birthday….” Phil frowned in concentration, “I don’t think I got him a present….”

Marcus huffed out a laugh, “Cheese – you astound me! Worrying that you’ll never get your memory back… You just can’t remember any names or faces, but everything else is there.”

Phil looked at Marcus, “So it is his birthday?”

Marcus nodded, “His 21st. If you promise to be good I’ll tell you a secret”

Phil grinned and moved his finger over his heart in a symbol of a cross, “and hope to die”

Marcus laughed at Phil’s antics. “Okay, Cheese. Here it goes – you were gonna propose to him today.”

Phil felt his eyes go wide, “Really?”

Marcus nodded. “You two were the real deal. You wanted to make it official. You had just started planning when that” Marcus nodded to Phil’s chest, “Happened. Maybe when you regain your memory you’ll start it back up again”

Phil was stunned. _I love him so much I was gonna ask him to marry me, and I can’t even remember what he looks like! God must hate me for whatever my sins are too take his face away from me…._

Marcus raised a hand to pat Phil’s shoulder, “I can see paperwork being filed in your head Cheese, relax my friend. You have time still…. I promise everything is gonna be okay”

Phil nodded and turned his head towards the path that leads away from the bench, frowning when he saw a man stumbling his way down it.

“Looks like we have some drunk company Marcus”

Marcus frowned and turned his head to look at the person Phil was looking at. Phil felt him still next to him before whooshing out his breath. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Phil turned to look at the older man, “Marcus? What’s wrong?”

Marcus just shook his head. “You’ll find out soon enough”

 

*****

Clint looked over at their bench, and stopped.

_There are people at our bench Phil! People aren’t allowed on **our** bench!!!!_

Clint frowned and walked past the bench, eyeing the two men he couldn’t see clearly due to his stupor.

What he could see, however, was that the two men were sitting really close. _Lover_ close.

“Damn those men!” Clint muttered to himself, “Damn them for having something I’ll never get back… Oh _Phil,_ whyda have to go against Loki alone? I miss you….” He whined to himself.

Clint wasn’t aware that the two men were watching his every movement as he stumbled to the closest tree and fell down against it, his eyes closing as he thumped his head against the tree bark. “Phil come back, I can’t come to you… Why can’t you come to me?”

                                                                                     

*****

Phil frowned as he watched the guy stumble past the bench they were sitting at a collapse against a nearby tree.

Phil didn’t understand why Marcus had the reaction that he did, or why the guy felt so familiar to Phil, but he couldn’t help but stand up.

Marcus stood up next to him, “Where in the hell are you going Cheese?”

Phil looked at Marcus, “He’s drunk Marcus, and he could hurt himself”

Marcus raised an eyebrow, “What’s to say he won’t hurt you?”

Phil shrugged, “Don’t know. But my gut says he’s okay, so I think I’m gonna go with it”

Marcus smiled and nodded, sitting back down on the bench. “Have at it Cheese, hope you find what you’re looking for”

Phil blinked, not knowing what that cryptic statement meant. Shrugging his shoulders, Phil assumed it was just Marcus being Marcus and walked over to the man next to the tree.

The guy looked young. His eyes were closed as he beat his head against the tree, muttering something to himself over and over. He had dirty blonde hair, a _fantastic_ build, and a really pale complexion. Too pale by Phil’s standards. _What have they done to you baby?_

Phil gasped as the thought slipped out of his head. _What the hell?_

His mind in turmoil, Phil reach his hand out steadily at touched the younger man’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

The younger man gasped as his eyes shot open, flitting over to Phil and staying there.

The man looked like he had seen a ghost.

Phil frowned as the younger man reached out a hand to touch Phil’s, flinching away before their skin could touch.

Phil felt his eyebrows burrow, “Are you okay?”

The man shook his head, his eyes closing as his hands came up to cover his ears. “You’re not real. You’re not real. You’re not here. You’re not real.”

Phil felt taken aback. _What the hell?!_

Looking over at Marcus, Phil blinked when he realized the other man was no longer sitting at the bench. _What the fuck is going on?_

Phil would have stood up to investigate, but the younger man’s mumblings got louder and louder until he was almost screaming.

Phil felt his heart wrench in his chest as he turned back to the other man. Phil stared at him for a moment, and without prior thought, pulled him into his chest.

Phil didn’t understand his body’s movements, but he guessed they had something to do with the past he couldn’t remember. His mouth was moving without his knowledge, and tuning back in Phil heard himself speaking.

“Clint my darling, shhh. It’s okay. I’m real, I’m here. I’ll never leave you again.”

_Clint. His name is Clint!_

**_Oh my god._ **

_Oh Clint, how I’ve missed you._

Phil felt his eyes shut as he began to kiss Clint’s hair over and over.

And he remembered.

 

*****

Clint was banging his head against the tree over and over again. He couldn’t stand the thought of moving away from this spot, the two lovers on the bench proving to be too much of a memory that Clint just couldn’t bear it. _They aren’t allowed on our bench. Not the bench that we made love on so sweetly. Dammit, Phil! Why did you have to leave me alone?_

Clint hit his head against the tree harder, his mind in a whirl. _Maybe if I hit my heard hard enough, everything will go away – and I can be happy again._

Clint was so lost in his thoughts and his memories that he didn’t even recognize when someone had come up next to him.

A hand dropped onto his shoulder, “Are you alright?”

Clint gasped and opened his eyes, the voice sounding so familiar it couldn’t possibly be true. Clint turned his head and came face-to-face with Phil.

_No, no this can’t be happening. You can’t be here!!_

Clint felt his body go cold as he tried to battle his memories with reality. Clint reached out a hand to touch Phil’s, to see if he was real. But before their skin could meet, Clint flinched back and shrunk away from the mirage, from the memory of Phil.

Phil didn’t see to really get his pain, however, and simply burrowed his eyebrows at Clint in the way that Clint used to find adorable, but is not just painful. “Are you okay?”

Clint shook his head, _no. No, I’m not okay Phil. I’ll **never** be okay. Especially since you can’t be here. You can’t be here because you’re **dead.**_ Clint couldn’t stand to look at the hallucination, couldn’t stand to hear the fake Phil talk again. “You’re not real. You’re not real. You’re not real.” He mumbled to himself. _Maybe if I say it enough times, he’ll go away._

Clint kept saying this to himself, over and over. His voice getting louder and louder, almost until he was screaming. “YOU’RE NOT REAL. YOU’RE NOT REAL”

_Go away! You aren’t my Phil!_

Clint was shouting, his voice going hoarse as a body wrapped around his. The arms felt so familiar, the embrace so heartwarming that Clint wanted to die.

“Clint my darling, shhh. It’s okay. I’m real, I’m here. I’ll never leave you again.”

Clint heard Phil whisper in his ear those soft words, felt the kisses pepper his hair. It was too much, Clint just began to sob.

_Oh Phil…_

*****

Tony followed Clint’s tracker dot into Central Park, and further into a closed off area that held a bench and a lot of trees.

Steve and the bunch were right behind him, the men all keeping a look out for Clint.

Tony, to say the least, was surprised to find Nick Fucking Fury sitting there.

The man was looking at two people close together next to a tree, his gaze fond – _Ew, you’re a robot Fury, you’re not allowed to have emotions._

His head turned, however, when he heard the group come up on the three people in the area.

Fury looked at the male Avengers, and stood up, placing a finger over his lips in the obvious symbol of ‘shut your mouths motherfuckers, or I’ll gut you like a fish’.

Fury walked over to the group and jerked his head, forcing the group to follow the man out of the area of the other people.

Tony stewed in silence, his quest for Clint lost in the focus of ‘what the fuck is Nick Fury doing in the middle of Central Park at 7 o’clock at night’ ville.

Fury finally stopped and whirled around. “Sorry about that, but I didn’t want you buffoons to ruin their moment”

Tony gasped in mock shock. “ _Us?_ Ruin a _moment?_ How dare you insinuate such a thing!?”

Steve sighed and looked at Fury, “Have you seen Clint? We don’t want to ruin whoever those two were having a moment, but he’s drunk and we’re trying to find him”

Fury smiled (it was weird), and nodded. “Yeah, I know where Clint is”

The whole group took a collective breath of relief. Tony wiped his brow, “Whew. That was a close one, where is he?”

Fury smirked at Tony (it was not a good smirk. That smirk meant evil), “He’s having a moment”

Tony frowned, _huh?_

Bruce must have been on Fury’s wavelength, because he was the only one that spoke. “He’s one of the guys having a moment? Who is he with? I don’t care how drunk he is, he wouldn’t go with anyone besides Phil…”

The rest of the men nodded, their boy would probably never get over Phil Coulson. Not that they would ask him to, you get a love like they had only once in a lifetime.

Fury nodded, “Well good. Because the other guy is Phil”

_What?!_

*****

Clint had finally stopped crying, and had his cheek pressed hard against Phil’s chest. He still didn’t fully believe that Phil was real, but if his mind wanted to play tricks on him to bring back Phil – Clint was all for it.

Phil had been pressing kisses to Clint’s hair for several minutes, murmuring things that Clint couldn’t quite comprehend, but they sure sounded nice and loving.

Clint smiled as he could hear the solid beat of Phil’s heart against his cheek, he couldn’t help but rub his face against the fabric of Phil’s shirt. _God it feels nice to do this again._

Phil just hummed softly and pressed one last kiss to Clint’s hair before pulling away gently. Clint whimpered at the loss of Phil, but was satisfied when the man wrapped his arms around Clint’s waist tightly.

“Don’t know how I ever forgot you,” Phil whispered in Clint’s ear. “Been going mad these last few months trying to get my memories back”

Clint nodded and closed his eyes, his smile staying firmly in place as he drifted to lay against Phil’s chest once again.

Phil just chuckled, and Clint felt both their bodies shift as Phil laid down on the grass, Clint splayed across his chest.

“This may be a sick hallucination,” Clint murmured into Phil’s shirt, “But I don’t care”

*****

Phil felt his heart clench at Clint’s words. _He’s had such a shit time these past few months that he would accept a hallucination of me. God I wish I had regained my memories sooner!_

Phil lifted his head and kissed Clint on the lips softly, “I’m real baby. No allusion, just me – I promise. I fought my way from death, and now I’m back”

Clint just looked at Phil with a sweet smiled and rested his head against his chest.

Phil lifted his hand and stroked his fingers through Clint’s hair, humming something nonsensical under his breath, trying to calm both of their nerves.

“Happy birthday baby… I wish I could have given you my present” Phil spoke after some time.

Clint blinked and lifted his head to look down at Phil. “Phil… You are my greatest present I have ever gotten….”

Phil grinned as Clint pressed their lips together, the sweetness of the moment bringing tears to his eyes.

_God, I’ve missed you so much. Now I’m never gonna let you go that’s a promise._

 

*****

Tony glared at Fury, “What the hell do you mean the other guy is Phil?!”

Fury raised an eyebrow, “Did I fucking stutter Stark? What the hell do you think I mean when I say one of those men is Coulson?”

Tony was about to rebuttal when Steve pushed Tony behind him gently and looked at Fury. “Sir, is there a good explanation as to why you _lied_ to us for _months_?”

Fury nodded, “There is a good one.”

Tony titled his body to look around Steve, “Well? What is it?”

Fury hummed, “I wasn’t lying when I called it on Coulson. He _was_ dead before you guys went off to battle the Chitauri. _But,_ the doctors were able to revive him just long enough to ask me what route I wanted to take. Let him die… or….”

Tony raised an eyebrow, “Or?”

Fury sighed, “Put him through surgery. I chose option two because truthfully, I wasn’t ready to lose my right hand man, not to mention my best friend, just yet. If everything had gone over smoothly with the operation, I would have told you guys immediately that they were able to revive Coulson…”

Bruce frowned, “But there were complications, I’m assuming?”

Fury nodded. “Big ones. The surgery didn’t take too good to Coulson’s body at first. He was touch and go for a while, in some serious pain and suffering. There were several times I wanted to call it quits, for his sake, but I knew Cheese wouldn’t have given up so easy… Or wanted me to for that matter”

Tony raised an eyebrow, _Cheese?_

Steve waved a hand for Fury to go on.

“Anyway, it took a while, but Phil finally pulled through. They were able to fully restart his heart, but the brain damage from being dead for so long caused him to go into retrograde amnesia”

Tony gasped.

Fury nodded, “I know. I didn’t want everyone, or Phil, to get their hopes up that he would regain all of his memories. So I kept him in a secure hospital and put him through therapy” Fury laughed and shook his head, “Turns out the one thing the doc and I were hiding him from was the one thing he needed…”

Tony frowned, “And what was that?”

Fury smiled and gestured to the pathway all of them had walked away from, “Clint”

 

*****

Clint was dozing against Phil’s chest, his fingers twirling in the fabric of the sweater Phil was wearing.

He really couldn’t believe his luck. Couldn’t believe that he could have his cake and eat it too. Couldn’t believe that Phil was back!

Clint turned his head, his chin resting on Phil’s chest as he looked up at the older man. Phil’s eyes were closed as he enjoyed the night air with Clint, but upon feeling the archer’s gaze resting on his face, opened his eyes to look at Clint.

Clint grinned at Phil, his heart thumping as Phil smiled back at him. “I love you Phil”

Phil’s eyes twinkled as his hand raised to cup Clint’s cheek. Clint nuzzled Phil’s hand gently and purred, cat-like. “I love you too Clint. So much”

Clint smiled and turned his head to press a kiss to Phil’s palm before laying his head back on Phil’s chest.

Phil chuckled and moved his fingers through Clint’s hair once again.

The silence between the two men that came after that was pleasant, comfortable. Clint felt safe in Phil’s arms, just like he always had.

“Hey Phil,” Clint spoke minutes later.

“Mmm?”

“Was that you on the bench earlier?”

Phil hummed in affirmative, his fingers moving down to stroke at Clint’s neck. “Yeah, Marcus took me away from the hospital for a treat and brought me here. My feet brought me to our bench, even though I didn’t know why. I was sitting on the bench when you walked by…. You worried me, even when I didn’t realize who you were…”

Clint hummed and nuzzled Phil’s chest, his next question already answered.

It felt nice that Phil was worried about him, it was a feeling he had missed these past several months. It was a feeling he had missed giving back to Phil in spades.

“When we get home,” Clint mumbled. “Gonna fuck you into the mattress”

Phil just snorted and leaned up to kiss Clint on the forehead, “We’ll see baby. I’m still a little sore from surgery”

Clint wasn’t deterred by that. “Mmm…. Blowjob it is”

Phil laughed and brushed his fingers through Clint’s hair once again.

 

*****

Tony watched as Fury lifted up his wrist and checked his watch, “It’s only been about 10 minutes… They won’t be through for another 15 I can guarantee that”

Tony blinked and looked at Steve, Steve staring back with the same ‘huh Fury is a human’ expression on his face.

With the two men occupied, Bucky sighed and brushed past them to get to Fury. “Well, I don’t know about those other yahoos, but I say we give Phil and Clint some privacy and go back to the bar. I didn’t get to finish my beer, and I can’t go home to get one. Nat only drinks premium vodka. Don’t get me wrong, I like vodka – but sometimes a man just needs a nice beer, you know?”

Tony snorted and turned away from Steve to look at Bucky and Fury. Steve did the same thing and sighed at the smirk on Bucky’s face. Bruce and Thor, not wanting to get in the middle of what could be a huge ‘debate’ between Tony, Steve, and Bucky – simply took about three steps back and waited for the other men to make a decision about what was going to happen. Tony looked up at Steve and raised an eyebrow, Steve rolled his eyes at Tony and then glared at Bucky.

Bucky laughed at Steve’s expression, “Don’t bother telling me I’m wrong, because I’m not. Phil and Clint are safe together, we should go have some fun and come back for them later.”

Tony thought about it and shrugged, “I still have the tracker for Clint. So we’ll know where both of them are”

Fury rolled his eyes at the group, “Come on boys. Let’s go grab a brew, on S.H.I.E.L.D.” With that, the man turned on his heel with a swish of his signature black coat and began to stalk off.

Tony laughed and turned too, following Fury as the entire group headed back towards the bar. Hell, who could never say no to free booze?

*****

Phil had enjoyed the quiet of nature with Clint, but knew that they had been on the ground for way too long.

His fingers were still tangled through Clint’s hair as they both dozed against the grass, but Phil tightened them briefly in warning before sitting up.

Clint had gotten Phil’s hint as sat up as Phil did, his body still pressed close to Phil’s chest, and he was still sprawled in Phil’s lap.

Clint titled his head and looked at Phil with a confused, sad puppy face.

Phil just smiled and kissed Clint sweetly before pulling away, laughing softly at the whine Clint made when their lips parted.

“Enough of that love, it’s time to get up and find everyone. I’m going to assume you were out with the other Avengers for your birthday?”

Clint nodded, his body not moving despite Phil’s suggestion of getting up. “They took me to a bar. I hate alcohol but it made me feel less pain”

Phil sighed and closed his eyes, his arms clenching around Clint’s waist briefly. “God I wish I had been there for you baby, I wish I hadn’t had my memories taken away… I could have been there for you”

Clint titled his head up to smile at Phil and kiss his jaw. “Do you blame me for almost getting you killed? For killing those other people?”

Phil shook his head firmly, “ _Never._ That wasn’t even close to your fault!”

Clint smiled and nuzzled his nose against Phil’s neck, “Then it wasn’t your fault you couldn’t remember me. You’re here now, and you’re alive – that’s all that matters”

Phil chuckled as he pressed his lips to Clint’s hair. “Damn you and your logic”

Clint grinned, “Oh yeah, that’s me. Mr. Logic”

Phil just rolled his eyes and kissed Clint’s nose. “Mmm, you’re Mr. Something alright. Now, it’s time to get up”

Clint’s nose wrinkled as he curled into Phil’s body tighter, “I don’t wanna”

Phil smiled, his heart full of mushiness. “Too bad, we have to go find Fury and the rest of the Avengers”

Clint pouted and looked up at Phil. “But Phil, I’m _comfortable_ ”

Phil laughed and kissed Clint on the nose and then peppered tiny little kisses as he made his way to Clint’s ear. Clint shuddered at the feeling of Phil’s lips against his ear as Phil whispered, “Wouldn’t you be much more _comfortable_ on a bed? With me in it?”

Phil laughed as Clint groaned and jumped up, holding out his hand to get Phil up. “Knew that would get you up”

Clint rolled his eyes, “Ass”

Phil laughed as he stood up, leaning over to kiss Clint’s cheek. “But I’m _your_ ass…”

Clint’s eyes twinkled as he wrapped Phil’s fingers around his. “True… But better yet, _you_ are gonna be in m-mph”

Phil shut Clint up with a kiss, knowing where the young archer was going and stopping him before he could say the words. _Phil was gonna be in his ass soon._

Clint smiled against Phil’s lips before the two men pulled away from each other, their fingers still intertwined.

“Alright Phil, guess we should find Fury and the other guys. Who knows how long we’ve been out here… Plus, I guess we have to tell them the good news, fill out paperwork for you can come home to the tower, yadda, yadda, yadda…”

Phil just smiled and rolled his eyes, leading Clint away from their special spot. The moon was overhead, and Phil felt like he could finally relax after months of empty search. He was where he belonged, with Clint and the Avengers. “You’re lucky I love you Clint”

Clint smiled and followed Phil, “I’m lucky to be loved by you… and love you in return”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( You can prompt me if you wish for other fics, or for any ideas you may have about this fic at [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 21  
> Life Event: A very special surprise from Phil (plus a little heartache too)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two chapters and a teaser left! Thank you all for being so perfect! Hope you enjoy!

Tony was so focused on his latest invention in his lab that he didn’t realize that Phil was standing behind him, watching him work, for about 30 minutes (closer to an hour, but Tony wasn’t going to admit that).

Tony probably would have continued to not know about Coulson’s existence if it hadn’t been for JARVIS lowering his music and speaking softly, “I think Mr. Coulson has been waiting for you long enough”

Tony blinked and spun around to find Phil watching him. Tony pushed the goggles he was wearing up past his eyes and squinted at the other man, “Well this is awkwardly stalkerish. What, you have a crush on me Phillip? Clint will be crushed”

Phil just raised an eyebrow, not bothering to sink to Tony’s level with a response. Tony huffed and leaned against his lab table, “Okay whatever. What do you need Agent 86?”

Phil rolled his eyes, “You and Clint need to stop watching old TV together.”

Tony wrinkled his nose, “Naaaaah. Father-son bonding time over shitty, and awesome, 60s television is the best”

Phil sighed and shook his head. “You two are a menace”

Tony grinned and winked, “Like father, like son. But our taste in 60s TV isn’t why you’re here – spill the beans Agent”

Phil blushed and Tony’s eyebrow shot up. “Is that… Is that _human emotion_ Agent? I thought I would never live to see the day!”

Phil sighed and lifted a hand up to rub at his neck, “I need… Your help. Well, I need everyone’s help, but I thought it would just be easier to come to you first since you tell everyone everything anyway”

Tony smiled, “You’re asking _me_ for help? You must truly be desperate…”

Phil glared at Tony, “I’m not desperate” he snapped out. “I just…. I just want it to be perfect”

Tony tipped his head, “What do you want to be perfect?”

Phil blushed again and Tony knew that it was serious. “Clint and my anniversary is coming up soon”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Why didn’t you just say that to begin with? I’ll get you guys a great table at-”

“I’m going to propose to him!” Phil blurted out.

Tony blinked, and then blinked again. “You’re proposing to Clint?”

Phil blushed for a third time, his head ducking down to his chest. He nodded, and for the first time, Tony realized how _young_ Phil was. The man may now be in his 30s, but compared to the rest of the team (besides Clint), Phil was a goddamn _baby._

Tony grinned, however. “Great! About damn time if you asked me, of course that means I would lose our betting pool, but hell – anything for Clint’s happiness!”

Phil took a deep breath in and Tony watched his shoulders relax, “Great”

Tony nodded, smiling like a loon – it would be great.

 

~

Tony burst into the kitchen and slid over to the kitchen table, shouting out “Guess who’s proposing to someone else in three weeks?!”

The team had just settled down for lunch by Tony’s calculations (Clint not being there because Phil had spirited him away, _again.)_

Steve open mouth was poised over his hot dog (God did that made Tony hot), and raised an eyebrow.

Tony waggled his eyebrows at Steve and pushed and shoved at the super soldier before he got to the perfect sitting spot. Steve’s lap.

Steve just sighed and set his hot dog down, wrapping his arms around Tony’s waist to rest his chin on Tony’s shoulder. “To save us the headache of trying to guess, why don’t you just tell us Tony?”

Tony grinned and turned his head up to kiss Steve quickly before pulling away to face the rest of the group. “Phil wants to propose to Clint on their anniversary and needs our help”

Bucky jumped out of his seat, “YES! IN YOUR FACE NATASHA, I TOTALLY CALLED IT!”

Tony watched Natasha raise one eyebrow at her assassin boyfriend, before she sighed and dug into her purse to hand Bucky a slip of paper.

Tony raised his eyebrow, “Pretty sure that wasn’t money”

Bucky grinned and flopped back into his seat. “That’s because it wasn’t. It was sexual favors”

Tony wrinkled his nose and made a face, “Ew. TMI bro”

Bucky just shrugged his shoulders and rested back against his chair.

Tony rolled his eyes at the table, “Okay. Anyway. Here is what I was planning would be the perfect thing to help Phil along….

 

*****

Clint looked up at Phil and tipped his head, not used to the silence between the two of them to be so awkward.

Phil had grabbed Clint from the gym and whisked him off to some new restaurant or another, his smiling face making Clint feel better at any time of the day, but the silence in the car between the two of them just didn’t feel natural.

Clint lifted his left hand up and rested it on Phil’s that was clenched around the gearshift. “Hey, what’s wrong baby?”

 

Phil jerked in his seat at Clint’s touch and turned his head to look at him, “What?”

Clint smiled gently and squeezed Phil’s hand with his own, “You seem a little lost. Is everything okay?”

Phil looked at Clint with a complicated expression that he couldn’t interpret for a few moments before breaking out with a grin, bringing Clint’s hand up to kiss the knuckles. “I’m great Clint, perfectly marvelous actually”

Clint raised an eyebrow, “’Perfectly marvelous,’ huh?”

Phil nodded and turned his gaze completely back to the road, their hands falling back down to the gearshift.

Clint could have said something made Phil turn back to him and pay attention – but the silence wasn’t as harsh anymore, so Clint thought everything was alright.

 

*****

Phil was nervous as all get out spending alone time with Clint. Which was ridiculous because Phil _knew_ Clint would say yes the second Phil got the question out, it’s just… He was _so_ afraid that Clint would catch on to what Phil was planning before Phil could even plan it!

Clint knew Phil so well (just as well as Phil knew Clint of course), that Phil wasn’t able to pull any sort of wool over his pretty blue eyes. Clint would just see through his bullshit and call him out on it, kind of like he did today.

It had taken all Phil had in his body not to just burst out the question and hope for the best.

Phil wanted the proposal to be _perfect._ As perfect as it would have been if the Battle of New York hadn’t happened. If Phil hadn’t almost died and lost his memories and had been able to ask Clint to marry him on his 21st birthday like he had previously planned. Now _that_ would have been downright perfect! Hell, they would probably be married by now if Phil had!

Phil knew that at this very moment, while he was driving Clint to the new Thai restaurant that he had found online, Tony was telling the rest of the Avengers about Phil’s planned proposal – and the team were stringing a plan together that would make Phil’s romantic idea look like an armadillo had been the one to choose what to do.

Phil was certain that whatever Tony concocted with the help of his minions (ehem, the other Avengers), it would be something big and grand.

Phil was brought back to reality when he spotted the turn-off for the Thai restaurant, and shaking his head to dispel the wayward thoughts, Phil turned the car and took his loving boyfriend (soon to be fiancé Phil hoped) out for a lovely lunch.

 

*****

Tony grinned at the group, “Great! We’ve got everything all set, and we just need Phil’s approval…”

Steve rolled his eyes, “You’re like a kid on a sugar rush Tony”

Natasha snorted as she scooped up the papers to take back to her and Bucky’s room (Clint would never know where they were, so he could never guess that they were planning the surprise proposal for Phil), “That’s because he _is_ a kid on a sugar rush”

Tony gasped, “How dare you! I’m a child on a _caffeine_ rush, thank you very much!”

Bruce snorted from where he was walking back from making a cup of tea and smacked Tony on the back of the head, “You’re an idiot, that’s what you are”

Tony pouted, “I get no love in this house”

“Tower”

“Steve I swear to god”

Steve just laughed as he kissed Tony on the cheek and stood up, following the rest of the group out of the kitchen.

 

*****

Phil got a text from Tony that the team had finished the preplanning plans for the proposal half-way through lunch.

Phil grinned down at his phone, not noticing that he hadn’t been paying attention to Clint anymore.

“Phil!”

Phil jerked his head up and felt bad when he realized that Clint looked exasperated, “Whoops?”

Clint sighed and rolled his eyes, “Where were you? We were talking, and then you were gazing all lovingly at your phone, and I couldn’t get your attention for ten minutes…”

Phil felt really guilty after that, feeling his shoulders rise, Phil smiled sheepishly at Clint, “Sorry babe”

Clint rolled his eyes again and smiled, “Dork”

Phil smiled, “I know… But I’m _your_ dork, right?”

Clint grinned, “Yes…. You are”

 

Phil reached over and took Clint’s hand inn his, lifting the hand up so he could skim his lips against Clint’s knuckles.

Clint gave a happy little sigh, and Phil knew there was no one else he would rather spend his life with.

 

*****

Phil had approved of the plan that the Avengers had cooked up for the proposal on his and Clint’s anniversary, with a few add-ins to make it more ‘Phil,’ instead of ‘Tony and Steve throw money at their soon-to-be son-in-law’.  
That had been two weeks ago, and the anniversary proposal was only a month away.

Tony was excited for his son, he had never seen Clint as happy as he was when he was with Phil. His whole demeanor changed, like Phil was the other half of his soul, and when he wasn’t next to him, he was only half the Clint he could be.

He was ready to pull Phil into his family, and even though Tony knew that Clint would probably be taking Phil’s last name (and he may have found an old notebook of Clint’s that he had scribbled ‘Clint Francis Barton Rogers Stark Coulson’ all over the first page, but that’s beside the point), Tony would fully accept Phil as a Rogers Stark.

But now, now they had some shit to do. Fury had just called out an Avengers Assemble, and as Tony shot into the sky in his suit, he couldn’t help but think about how he hoped everyone would be okay. If only for Phil and Clint’s sake.

 

*****

Clint had been working in his old suite instead of the one he shared with Phil, working on a gift for their anniversary that would knock Phil’s socks off, when he had gotten the call for the Avengers Assemble.

Sighing, Clint put the gift to the side, and rushed off to get into uniform to be ready to fly out.

Apparently, some evil mastermind had gotten god awful thoughts in his brain, and now he was terrorizing the masses with huge, robotic, _spiders._ Clint shuddered at the image of them – black, and creepy, and eight-legged, with lots of eyes.

_Fucking gross, man._

“Why does it have to be spiders? Why couldn’t he have made huge, robotic, death-inducing butterflies?” Clint spoke out loud in the quinjet as they were heading to the scene.

“I don’t know Weasley, but you better man the fuck up or we’re all gonna die” hissed out Natasha as she stood up, her parachute already ready for the drop each of them will have to make.

Usually the quinjet landed on a building, or on the ground, allowing the nonflying members of the team to get out and start into the fight. But not this time.

This time there was no space on the buildings or ground to land, and if they did, the whole plane would be gobbled up by one of the damn spiders. So, the Avengers had to fucking _parachute_ to their fight zones.

“Because that’s just my goddamn luck,” Clint muttered to himself.

Grabbing his chute, Clint strapped himself in and followed the rest of the team (Bucky, Steve, Nat and Bruce to be exact…. Though technically, Bruce just hulked out and landed, but it’s the thought that counts) out of the quinjet and onto the ground where Tony and Thor would meet them.

Phil was already on the ground with the back-up crew from S.H.I.E.L.D. giving commands as to where the different agents should head off. Red team into the buildings, blue team into the support vehicles, yellow team were getting all civilians out of the general premises, and green team stays on the ground to help the non-flying members of the Avengers.

Steve, Bucky, and Natasha set up shop on the south corner of the street, already in battle positions for when the spiders creeped their way over to where the good guys were waiting to beat the ever loving shit out of them.

Thor and Tony were shooting into the air as Clint landed, both men trying to attract the creature’s attention to get them away from the general public, and toward the deserted street that they were using as their battle field (not that that would stop the damn things from going all over the fucking place).

Bruce (or the Hulk really), was sitting on the ground next to Steve and Nat. Bucky was making his way to Clint as the archer was divesting himself of the stupid parachute strings.

“Hey squirt, looks like I’m more needed up high than on the ground today, so let’s figure out the two best spots quick…”

Clint nodded at Bucky and looked up at the buildings. He quickly calculated the height and width of the creatures, factored in wind pattern as best he could, multiplied that by how fast the spiders could go, and picked the spots that would work the best. Nodding to Bucky, Clint raised his hand and pointed at the shorter building on the left hand side of the street. “You should go over there. With the short-range weapon, you could get to the under-belly of the creatures a lot quicker, and you’ll also be closer to any hand-to-hand action that the situation might call for. I, however,” Clint pointed to the tallest building on the block on the south-west corner of the street, “Will be way up there to get of the higher points of the creature, or if anything is flying with my bow… That okay?”

Bucky looked at Clint for a few moments, and turned his gaze to the two spots Clint had chosen. Humming in thought, Bucky nodded and clapped Clint on the back. “Perfect brat, you’re growing up too fast man…”

Clint rolled his eyes and brushed past Bucky to run to the building and get in place.

 

~

Clint had gotten to his perch not a moment too soon. Clint had just gotten to his position when Tony zoomed past in the Mock whatever number he was on, a huge ass creepy crawly crashing into the closest building as he followed him.

Clint shuddered at the look of the thing. It was fucking _huge,_ and a metallic grey color. There were wires hanging out of its pinchers, like it had ripped into a power grid and pulled out everything that it could get its teeth onto. The damn thing had what looked like a million eyes on it, and if those damn things weren’t fucking cameras for the master mind to watch, Clint would eat his damn bow for breakfast.

The thing crittered across the street, its mouth opening to screech as it tried to follow after Tony.

Clint looked down and could see Steve and Nat trying to get underneath it, trying to trip it. Hulk was slowly standing up, probably sizing up the situation before attacking (there was a lot more brains and Bruce Banner to the Hulk than most people believed, or wanted to believe for that manner). Clint could see the S.H.I.E.L.D. strike teams already poised to help their Avengers comrades, and then there was Bucky already aiming his rifle at the creature’s stomach.

Clint, however, wasn’t moving just yet. He didn’t want to waste arrows if they wouldn’t work on the creature. No, Clint was going to figure out the weak spot first before he attacked.

Now if the damn thing would just get closer…

The robot had a hard outer shell, the metal firm and probably covered with something to keep it from rust, dents, or anything else that could harm the thing. The legs looked a little weak, probably because they were holding up too much weight, even if there was eight of them. Clint shook his head at that, Steve and Nat were already on the legs, and nothing was working to bring him down.

Clint wrinkled his nose, “Can’t find a weak spot…”

Getting closer to the edge of the building, Clint tried to focus more clearly on the beast. If the body and the legs were out, maybe there was something in the head that would take it out.

Not the pinchers, they looked strong and capable of ripping an entire continent in half if they wanted to. The head of the beast was out to, it was probably made of the same metal as the body. That just left…. The eyes!

_Duh, the fucking eyes! They’re probably cameras… If the evil mastermind doesn’t know what’s hitting him, he can’t hit back…_

Clint nodded as he came to a final conclusion. Pulling out one of his EMP arrows, he notched the thing with pride, and shot it as close to the center of the whole collections of eyes as he could. The second it the arrow made its target, Clint pressed the button to set off the explosions, and crowed in triumph when the thing let out a loud screech.

The spider seemed to stumble backwards for a moment before regaining its senses. But they weren’t the same. Clint knew the spider couldn’t see what was going on (read: evil mastermind), and as such, was brought down within a matter of minutes.

“What did you do?” Phil spoke softly over their personal comm.

Clint smiled and raised his bow, ready for the second spider to strike. “The douchebag is watching us through their eyes. That’s how they’re able to block all our movement. Take out the eyes, or the cameras, and the battle will be easy as pie…”

The comm was silent for a moment. Clint frowned as Phil didn’t answer him immediately.4

“Ph-?”

“You’re brilliant and I freaking love you? Have I ever told you that?”

Clint grinned goofily. “Yes, but I love when you say it again and again”

Phil chuckled over their comm, “Good. I’ll say it for the rest of our lives. Now, there’s a whole bunch of spiders heading our way, stay safe. Over and out”

Clint hummed, “You too. Over and out”

The comm went silent between them as Clint watched the first of a hundred smaller spiders come into the block.

Clint guessed that Phil must have told the rest of the Avengers about the cameras in the eyes, because Clint suddenly saw Thor and Tony fly through the scene and start blasting the critters eyes, the Hulk following behind them (but technically he was just smashing everything).

Clint kept shooting though, never one to back down even when he wasn’t needed. He wouldn’t let his family get hurt, not when he could be there to watch their back. So Clint kept his arrows going into the eyes of the spiders, and into other locations that he could see as weak spots.

The fight didn’t last very long after that.

The Avengers were a well-knit team, weaving through each other seamlessly throughout the fight. When one drew back, another was stepping forward. When one was attacking, another was defending. It was a well-oiled machine, much different from the time bomb that Bruce had predicted they would be many years before Clint had even met Tony Stark. (The team says it’s because Clint finally came into their lives, which Clint calls bullshit on because the team was just fine before he helped out, and they would have been fine if he had never existed).

So, it came to a clichéd as fuck shock to Clint, that despite how in tuned the team was, they hadn’t seem one spider that had been hiding from them. And, of course, the spider just _had_ to be hiding on _his_ building, and crawl up to where _he_ was, and now _Clint_ was in the middle of a goddamn fight with a huge ass, creepy as fuck, robotic, _spider._

The creature screeched at Clint, one spiny leg coming out to swat him across the building, his body slamming down onto the concrete of the floor below his once standing feet.

Clint groaned and quickly scrambled to his feet, his bow already in his hands, an arrow notched without Clint having to even think about it. Clint shot the arrow through the air, but the genius must have finally clued on, and moved the spider out of the way before the arrow could reach the creature’s eyes.

Clint huffed and tried again. And again. And again. The creature kept moving at a lightning fast speed, screeching when the arrow got a little _too_ close (but not close enough of course). Clint kept shooting though, trying to stop the damn thing. But he got too close, and was once again shot back through the air by one of its legs.

_I really **, really, fucking really,** hate goddamn spiders. Fuck all of them. _

Clint scrambled to his feet once more, but the creature was quicker, and Clint was shot back. And then again. And then a third time.

Clint was so winded by the falls, his ribs cracked for certain, that he wished he didn’t have to get up. But get up he did, and was kicked at once again by the creature’s leg.

Except this time, this time Clint didn’t have more roof to fall onto. No, Clint was suddenly falling to his death that came with the concrete a mile or two below him.

Groaning, Clint grabbed his bow and shot one arrow, a last ditch effort to turn of the spiders cameras. As Clint blacked out as he fell through the air, he heard a huge screech come from the spider on top of the building, and knew he had succeeded in turning of the mastermind’s last chance for world domination. Smiling, Clint let his body relax as he fell through the air.

_Love you Phil._

 

*****

Phil had been so certain that the last spider had been dealt with, so certain that they could call clear and call in the clean-up guys. Hell, he had even allowed himself to relax!

He hadn’t noticed the last fucking spider crawling its way up the building Clint was still perched in, of course he didn’t! Neither did anyone else for that matter, too wrapped up in themselves to have Clint’s back, even though he always had theirs.

Of course nobody had noticed the battle that had gone on between the archer and the beast, not until the damn thing screeched, and Clint began his descent from the building.

Phil had watched helplessly as Clint fell through the air, his whole body freezing as he watched the love of his life plummet to his death.

The air around him was so still, no frosty. In a faraway place he could hear Steve and Natasha screaming for help, the sound of sirens and roaring, and even pained screeching from the spider as Clint fell down, down to the ground. But Phil was helpless to stop it.

Helpless to save Clint’s life.

He hadn’t even been aware that he was holding his breath at the scene until Clint was close to the ground, so fucking close, and the Hulk popped out of nowhere and caught Clint. Let Clint drop gently into his hands like he was a baseball being flung through the air ready to call the batman out for a strike. When Clint landed in the Hulk’s hands, Phil took a deep, raspy breath.

The cough that came from his recuperating lungs brought him back to life, and Phil found himself sprinting across the lane to get over to the Hulk and to Clint.

Steve, Nat, and Bucky (down from his perch) were not far behind him as Tony and Thor both smashed down to the ground.

The Hulk was cradling Clint in his hands as Phil slide to a stop next to him, his heart beating twice as fast as normal in his chest.

Hulk growled at everyone surrounding him and the archer cradled in his hands, but eventually lowered Clint’s unconscious form into Phil’s arms.

“Birdie hurt bad, but will be okay. Agent Agent take him to doctor now?”

Phil hugged Clint’s body to his chest, relieved to feel some breathing happening, and nodded to the Hulk. “He’s going right now big guy?”

The Hulk nodded and immediately began to shrink into Bruce Banner, Bucky and Nat stepping forward to help him settle down as Steve and Tony led Phil and Clint to the med van.

Phil’s knees were shaky as he laid Clint down on the emergency vehicle’s bedding, and turned his head to the two other superheroes, pleading with his eyes to be the one to sit next to Clint on the way over to the hospital.

Steve and Tony both nodded at the same time and shoved Phil into the vehicle before shutting the doors behind him. The vehicle’s sirens went off as they began to make their way through the crowded New York streets, rushing to get to the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital.

Phil sat in the seat next to Clint’s right side, the archer’s hand clasped tightly in his as the medics worked around them.

Phil just sniffed, trying to keep back the tear that was building up in his eye.

_If you die Clinton Francis Barton Rogers Stark before I get the chance to propose to you, I will bring you back from the dead and then kill you. **Kill you.** Do you fucking understand me?_

 

*****

Tony had kept the Iron Man suit on as the team sat in the waiting room for word on Clint. It was an all too familiar feeling, giving them all flashbacks to his accident in the army that had taken his hearing away.

Tony watched as Coulson paced across the room over and over for hours. Never relaxing, despite attempts from Natasha and Fury when he had come into the med bay.

Tony sighed and shook his head, leaning back against his chair which was straining under the weight of the suit.

_I knew something funky was gonna go down today… I should have been watching Clint more carefully, dammit!_

Tony knew, logically, that there had been nothing that any of them could have done to save Clint. That he should be extremely grateful that the Hulk had been able to get to Clint when he had. But still… It hurt. It hurt that, _once again,_ Tony hadn’t been there for his little boy. So many times during the years Clint had lived with him Tony had felt like he had let Clint down somehow. Hadn’t protected him the way he should have, hadn’t given him all the comfort he needed.

Of course, Clint (and Steve and everyone else), would disagree with Tony, but it was hard to get away from old insecurities. _Really_ hard.

Steve, sensing the turmoil running through Tony, leaned over from where he was sitting next to him and pressed his lips to Tony’s cheek.

The contact was brief and small, but it was just enough to center Tony, making a smile come over his face at his husband’s effort to calm him down. Tony turned his head and kissed Steve more thoroughly before pulling away as the Doctor came into the waiting room.

“You’re all here for Barton, right?”

Tony watched as Phil spun in place and glared at the doctor ( _remind me to never piss Agent Agent off)_ “Yes. Speak!”

The doctor rolled his eyes at Phil, used to the man’s over protective nature when it came to his boyfriend (soon to be fiancé). “Barton is fine”

The whole room let out a collective breath.

“But-”

The room then held their breath.

“He’s currently not aware of his surroundings and went into a severe panic attack. We had to sedate him, but we’ll have to see how he is when he wakes up”

The whole room relaxed somewhat, glad that Clint was okay for the most part.

The doctor looked at where Tony and Steve were sitting and gestured to them with his head, signifying that he wished to talk to them.

Tony gulped and stood up, grabbing Steve’s hand and walking over to where Phil was standing next to the Doctor.

The doctor looked at the three men, “Come on you three. There’s something that needs to be discussed in private”

Tony, Steve, and Phil all looked at each other, all questioning what the hell the doctor could want with them.

Phil then turned away and gestured to the Doctor, “Lead on…”

The doctor nodded and headed through the double doors, trusting that the three men would follow behind him.

The doctor walked them down the hall a ways before stopping and facing the three men.

Tony gulped at the serious expression on the doctor’s face and sought out Steve’s hand, feeling comfort when it wrapped around his. But then Tony felt guilty because Phil didn’t get that comfort that Tony was feeling right now, because Clint was in a hospital room and Phil had no one.

So Tony pressed a hand to Phil’s shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. Phil seemed to freeze a moment at the contact, but soon relaxed into it as he nodded for the doctor to speak.

The doctor rocked back on his heels, “I wasn’t lying about Barton having a panic attack and being sedated, but unfortunately, there’s more to it than that…”

Tony paled a bit, his hands tightening around Phil’s shoulder and Steve’s hand.

Phil was the one to speak though, “Go on”

The doctor sighed, “It seems that the repetitiveness with which the spider knocked him to the ground and then falling into the Hulk’s hands has caused some swelling in the brain which has caused him to have a few seizures. We’re trying to reduce the swelling, and we’re 90% that the seizures will stop, but we wanted you to be aware that Clint may now have trauma induced epilepsy…”

Tony closed his eyes, his body falling against Steve’s, _shit._

 

*****

Clint awoke in a hospital room and for a moment had a déjà vu moment that made his damn head spin.

In fact, it was so much like the last time he had been in this situation, where he had lost his hearing that Clint began to freak out.

His heart rate began to rise as his breath came quicker. His eyes shifted around the room as he tried to hear something, _can I hear? I don’t fucking know!_

Clint was in full out panic mode as he sat up in the hospital bed, reaching out for something, _something_ to prove that he wasn’t a fractured shell of what he used to be.

Clint felt a hand touch his own, a familiar hand wrapped tight around his. Clint swiftly turned his head to spot Phil looking worried. Clint whimpered in distress and reached his other hand, grasping for Phil’s body, trying to reach for his lover.

Phil immediately grabbed tight to Clint’s other hand and sat on the edge of Clint’s bed, wrapping his arms around Clint’s body in a warm embrace. “Shhh, Clint. It’s okay. I promise. You’re alright, I swear”

Clint shuddered against Phil’s body and tucked his face into Phil’s neck. Phil just rocked Clint back and forth, cooing gentle words into his ear until Clint calmed down.

Clint took one last shuddering breath and pulled his head away to look up at Phil.

Phil smiled and caressed Clint’s cheek, “Better?”

Clint smiled and nodded before burrowing his face back into Phil’s neck, content to live in Phil’s warmth for forever.

Phil just chuckled and cuddled Clint tighter against him.

 

~

Clint had been in the hospital a week before they broke the news to him that he might have epilepsy. He had had four more episodes since the few that he had had after his surgery, and the doctors were almost positive that, though the swelling had gone down, the trauma induced epilepsy wouldn’t be going away.

Clint hadn’t taken it very well. He knew something was wrong with him, but not that. Not just one more thing that makes him even less of a man than he already was.

_I’m an orphaned, ex-carnie, deaf, epileptic, **nobody.** Who would care for me the way I am now? A shell of what I could be, a shell of what I **should** be. God, why do they stay? Why does Phil and Tony and Steve and all of them keep watch over me every night? Shouldn’t they know I’m **hopeless** by now? _

But yet, the entire crew stayed. They each took shifts and watched over him (and by that, Clint means, they took shifts to force Phil, Steve, and Tony to take a break from sitting in his room all the damn time).

Clint couldn’t believe that any of them still cared, _why did they care?_

It bothered Clint so much, bothered him that they stayed. And then, when they were called off for an Avengers mission, Clint was actually relieved….. Maybe.

 

*****

Phil was reluctant to leave Clint in the hospital by himself, but with the team a member down now, they needed all the help they could get.

It was surprising to the team how, even though they had fought for more years without Clint than they had with him, when he wasn’t there, it was a big hindrance to them.

So, they needed the extra eyes that Clint would have provided to make sure nothing went wrong.

Luckily, nothing didn’t. The battle seemed more like a diversion tactic than anything substantial, with in and of itself made the Avengers’ backs go up. But without any proof, all anyone could do was wait and head back to Clint in the hospital.

Phil was sitting on the quinjet with the rest of the team when he got a call from Marcus.

Phil answered it, “Coulson”

“Cheese, your boy’s gone”

Phil sat up straight, “What?!”

“He’s left the hospital and we can’t locate him”

Phil closed his eyes and thunked his head back against the wall behind him. _Fucking Christ, Clint!_ “We’re on our way”

“Good. Over and out”

Phil clicked off his phone and threw it to the side.

Make that wait for more evil to happen and try and find where the _fuck_ Clint ran off too.

 

*****

Clint had been sitting in his hospital room for about an hour after the Avengers had left for their mission when he had just felt the urge to leave. To get the hell away from this damn hospital room and run as far away as he could.

“Nobody will have to deal with me if I run away….” Clint muttered to himself, his hands already taking off the bits and bobs that covered his body, taking his heart rate or temperature, or whatever the hell they did.

Clint wobbled out of the bed and put on his gear that was sitting on the edge of the room. It hadn’t been washed, so the blood and sweat was still caked on the damn thing, but at least his ass wouldn’t be hanging out as he left the room, unlike if he had tried this in that stupid gown.

Clint knew that people would be watching out for him, so Clint left through the vents of the place; crawling through them until he reached the one that led for the freedom of the outside air.

Clint then began to run. He didn’t know where he was going, or how long it would take him to get there. He just knew he needed to get away, and he needed to get away fast.

Never mind the loved ones he was leaving behind, they would soon forget about him. They would be relieved that they wouldn’t have to take care of him, that they were now free agents.

Just like he was.

 

*****

Tony was trying his hardest to locate Clint with the tracker chip he had implanted in the younger man after the Battle of New York, when they all still thought he was too shattered _not_ to do something dangerous (like he was doing now).

JARVIS couldn’t locate him or the tracker, which was frankly, freaking Tony the fuck out.

Where in the hell could Clint be that he couldn’t be tracked? There had to be _some_ source of him, _somewhere!_

But where?

Tony growled to himself as he tried to run the trace again, flying about New York fucking city in his suit, looking for his idiotic son.

 

*****

Phil was searching frantically for Clint everywhere that he could think of. The bench where they had reunited, the bookstore that sells Clint’s favorite hot chocolate, the café down the street where they had kissed the first time, the pizza and ice cream joint that Clint used to go to with Kate, the fucking dog park that he went to with Lucky every Sunday.

Clint was in none of his favorite places, and he was in none of his least favorite place either. Phil had checked the expected and unexpected, but had come to no avail.

Clint had disappeared, without a trace, and Phil was freaking the fuck out.

What if he had a seizure and no one was around to help him? What if he had been kidnapped? What if he had been _killed?_ God, Phil couldn’t even think about that one without getting nauseous.

_Where are you love? Come home to me, I love you…_

 

*****

Clint had ended up in a shady part of New York before his body finally collapsed on him, his knees buckling as he hit the asphalt beneath his feet.

He gasped in a few breaths, trying to get his heart to stop beating so fast. Luckily, no one was around to see him at his weakest as he crawled into the closest alleyway and sat back against the brick wall.

His heart finally stopped thumping in his chest, but his limbs felt too weak for him to try and stand up again.

_I may have made a mistake running away. Phil is gonna be really pissed when he finds me…_

Using the wall to stand up, Clint let his body rest for a few moments before he began to stumble out of the alleyway and into the street.

 

*****

“Sir, I have found the location of Master Clint”

Tony gasped and looked at the screen JARVIS was showing him. Clint was super close! _Finally, stupid fucking tracker._ “Thanks Jarv! Alert the team, I’m on my way over to meet him…”

“Of course, sir”

Tony grinned from ear to ear, his heart thumping as he flew to what he considered the shadiest part of town. This was where all of the ‘normal’ crime happened in the city: the murders, rapes, gang fights, you name it, it’s been here.

_How in the hell did you end up here Clint? How? Why???_

Tony flew over the area once or twice as he waited for the rest of the team to get there, trying to spot where their wayward archer was hiding.

It took longer than he anticipated to spot the blond on the streets. Luckily he spotted Clint right as Phil and the Avengers got there.

“Phil! He’s heading into the street right now! Go get him!”

“Affirmative Tony, you can count on me”

 

*****

 

Phil was almost vibrating, he was so mad at Clint. How could he have put himself in danger like this? How could he have left when he was injured, and could possibly get more hurt? Why in the hell did he leave in the first place?!

Skidding the car to a park next to Clint’s stumbling body, Phil stormed out of the car and slammed the door shut behind him.

Clint spun around at the noise, his eyes widening as Phil stalked closer to him.

Phil’s nostrils flared at how weak and pale Clint looked. _He shouldn’t have fucking left the hospital, he should be resting!_

Pulling Clint in by the shoulders, Phil shook the younger man. “What in the _fuck_ where you thinking Clint?! You could have been hurt!!”

Clint’s body rattled with Phil’s movement, his eyes just tipping up to look into Phil’s face. Phil got angry at the younger man’s lack of answer. “Answer me, Clint! What the hell were you thinking?!”

Clint just stared at Phil before his body collapsed into Phil’s arms, unconscious.

Phil growled under his breath and swung Clint into his arms bridal style and carried him to the car, and then back to the hospital where Clint _should_ have stayed.

 

*****

Clint awoke slowly, his vision blurry as he took in his surroundings. He was no longer in the dingy street, Phil like a knight in blue armor shaking his shoulders and demanding answers. No, Clint was back in the hospital room he had been so keen to leave earlier.

“I know you’re awake now, welcome to the land of the living Clinton”

Clint winced at the name and turned his head to find not one, not two, not three, but _thirteen_ frowning, aggravated faces looking back at him. Phil had been the one that had spoken, sitting in front of the mob next to Clint’s bed. Clint just gave him a sheepish smile (that Phil glared at), and sat up in the hospital bed, “I uh…. Should have just stayed in the bed?”

Every one of the 13 faces looked at Clint with equal amounts of anger and exasperation which just amounted to one huge _duh!_

Clint just sighed and flopped against the pillow.

“Why in the hell did you leave Clint?” Phil spoke.

Clint shrugged his shoulders, his eyes closing on their own free will.

“That’s not an answer!” Phil snapped out.

Clint just jerked and curled into a ball of misery.

“You are not doing anything for his recovery! Everyone out!” Hissed a voice Clint had never heard before.

_Must be a nurse,_ he thought to himself.

“This isn’t over yet Clint” he thought he heard Phil murmur, as he drifted off to sleep.

 

*****

Phil may have been kicked out of Clint’s hospital room to let the archer get some rest, but he was back in his usual spot next to Clint’s bed only a couple hours later. Waiting for the younger man to wake up.

Phil just couldn’t understand what was wrong with his lover. What had possessed him to freak out and leave the way he did? Didn’t he know there were people here that loved him? Didn’t Clint know that he had ripped everyone’s heart out when he had walked away from them?

Phil wasn’t too trapped in his thoughts to miss the groan that came from Clint as he began to awaken once more.

Phil stood up from his seat and leaned over Clint, his hand grasping the one on the bed. “Come on Clint, time to wake up.”

Clint groaned again and opened his eyes, squinting at the brightness in the room as he looked up at Phil. “P-phil?”

Phil nodded, pushing back a smile. “I’m here Clint….”

Clint nodded and closed his eyes again for a brief moment before peaking up at Phil. “I fucked up, didn’t I?”

Phil hummed and nodded once more, “Big time”

Clint sighed and wrinkled his nose, “Sorry won’t cut it, will it?”

Phil shrugged and sat back down in his seat. “No… But it’s a start”

Phil smiled as Clint groaned again, the sound coming out more petulant that painful. “Sorry?”

Phil huffed out a laugh and shook his head fondly. “Thanks for the effort… But now, riddle me this.”

Clint turned his head and looked at Phil, his eyes wide open once more. “Tony would kill you if he knew you were quoting Batman, he hates anything to do with Bruce Wayne…”

Phil rolled his eyes. “It’s expression that has nothing to do with Supervillains from old TV shows”

Clint shrugged, “Carry on then, it’s your funeral...”

Phil sighed. “ _Anyway._ I need to know one thing Clint…”

“What?”

“Why did you run away? I know you hate the med bay, but you’ve never run out deliberately when you knew it was something serious keeping you in…”

Clint looked at Phil and was very quiet, his eyes even going solemn. Phil worried for a moment or two that he might have seriously upset Clint with the question, or sent him into an episode that he wouldn’t be able to get out of.

Phil shook his head, “Never mind. You don-”

“No, I want to answer” interrupted Clint. “I have an answer, I just didn’t know how to explain it at first…”

Phil took a deep breath in a faint relief. Sitting back in his chair, Phil tried to fake being relaxed, but knew Clint saw right through his bullshit. “Go on…”

Clint nodded and laid back on the hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling “After my accident in the army, and my deafness, I guess I got a self-confidence problem. I knew how good I was, I knew I was important in my own way, I knew I was loved. But there was a small part of me that knew that I wasn’t anywhere near who I used to be, that I would never be as _good_ as I used to be…”

Phil raised his hand to try and stop Clint’s monologue, tried to reassure him that he had no reason to fear. Clint’s expression stopped him. He didn’t say in anything, but the expression spoke volumes to Phil, _let me finish._

Phil sat back, and Clint once again looked at the ceiling.

“It was only a small part of me that thought about it, thought I wasn’t good enough. For the most part I was the cocky, self-assured man that you know. Then the Battle of New York happened and another piece of me fell away. I became even more a shell than the man I was. I was a traitor, I was a killer, you name it – I was it…. It really screwed me up, you know? All I had was my bow sometimes, and even then, every so often, I was unsure of myself…. But, you came back and I thought everything was going to be okay….. But now….. Now, now I might be epileptic for my whole life. I can’t even function normally anymore. Why would anyone want to care for me if I can’t hear, or at random times I could endanger everyone by having a seizure?” Clint turned his gaze to Phil, his eyes so full of pain. “Who would want a shell of a man, Phil?”

Phil tried to speak, but couldn’t find the words to what he wanted to say. Couldn’t figure out how to express his emotions and make Clint realize how so fucking _important_ he was.

Clint must have took his silence for an affirmation of nobody wanting him and turned his gaze back to the ceiling. “That’s why I ran…. Now, I’m gonna go to sleep again. Do what you want Phil….”

Phil tried to speak, but Clint’s eyes were already shut, his breathing even as he fell into slumber. Standing up, Phil took a deep breath and turned to leave the room.

_I’m gonna prove how wrong you are dammit..._

 

*****

Tony was just coming out of his lab after three days, having tried (to no avail), to create some sort of device to help with Clint’s seizures. Steve had ventured many times into the genius’s lair, trying to lure him out with promises of sex and coffee – but of course nothing had worked.

Whatever else you say about Tony Stark, he was a stubborn, but loyal man – who wouldn’t stop trying to help the ones he loved. He was so sure that he could save the world if he never slept and lived off of coffee, and no one had the heart (or the patience truthfully) to tell him otherwise.

So here Tony Stark was, downing a whole pot of coffee in preparation to dive back into his lab and the world of science, when Phil Coulson came into the tower in a whirlwind of motion, and marched his way to the elevators that would take him to their private floors.

Curious, Tony walked out of the kitchen and followed behind the agent. “Heeeeeeey, what’s up buddy?”

Phil spun around to look at Tony, murder written in his eyes. “I need to show your idiotic son something”

Tony blinked in confusion and tilted his head, almost like a puppy, to stare at Phil (if anyone asked he was trying to read Phil’s soul, but no one would ask) “Are you still mad about him running out of the hospital?”

Phil huffed and shook his head, his hands wind milling through the air in such a show of exasperation that Tony was frankly, shocked. Tony had never seen Phil ever lose control like that, and he really didn’t think he wanted to ever again. “No, no I’m not still mad at that. I forgave Clint for running out the second he blinked up so adorably at me this morning…”

Tony nodded, “Riiiight…. Sooooo?”

Phil titled his head at Tony, using the same expression that Tony had had on his face earlier. “So?”

“Sooooo” Tony elongated. His body rocking back and forth on his heels, “Why is my son an idiot, and why do you need to show him something?”

Phil’s eyes flashed and his nostrils flared in obvious anger. Tony took two steps back and knew that Clint was in some serious shit. “Your _son,_ ” Phil spat – causing Tony’s eyes to widen – “Thinks that just because he’s got a _couple_ of issues, he’s not worth the goddamn cloth he’s lying on! He fucking left because he thought we would be sick of him!” Phil raged, his body pacing back and forth in front of Tony.

Tony whistled and rocked back again. No _wonder_ Phil was so pissed. “Can’t say I blame you for getting pissed, I would be too…”

Phil turned on Tony and glared, “ _Would_ be? **_Would_** be?! Why aren’t you that pissed _now?!?!?!_ ”

Tony shoved his hands up, “Woooooah, settle down! One, figure of speech Phil. Two, you’re pissed enough on behalf of everyone, I don’t think there’s any more _room_ to be pissed at Clint with how angry you are!”

Phil stared at Tony for a moment, anger still on his face. Tony froze in time too, worried about what Phil was planning on doing next. _God, just don’t go for the face, alright Phil?_

Phil then groaned and sagged against the wall, his hands coming up to shove against his eyes.

Tony blinked, looking around the living room to see if anyone else was noticing Phil Coulson have a major freak out.

_Of course nobody else is around, fuck my life._

Gulping, Tony walked forward and pressed his hand against Phil’s shoulder, much like he had down in the hospital a couple of weeks ago. “Come on Phil, it’s gonna be okay. Clint’s gonna be okay, he’s just a little down in the dumps right now. We’ll get Sam to talk to him… Okay?”

Phil just shook his head and looked up at Tony, “I’m sorry I got so angry…I just… I just, can’t even _think_ right now! Jesus, when Clint was telling me everything I just sat there in shock! I didn’t say a goddamn thing, and now I’m _sure_ Clint thinks we all hate him! God _damn_ it!”

Tony wanted to take two huge steps back, but knew that wouldn’t help matters at all. Sighing, Tony gathered the younger man in his arms and hugged him as tight as he could.

_Jesus, I’m old._

*****

Phil couldn’t help but let out a tiny Sob as Tony’s arms wrapped around his body. _It was so unfair._ Clint’s life had just been one trial and tribulation to the next, and now he can’t even feel safe with his goddamn family!

Tony didn’t speak as Phil sobbed on his shoulder, only held the younger man until his shoulders finally shook for the last time. Pulling away, Phil wiped his hand across his eyes and looked at the older man. “Sorry, I don’t usually lose control like that….”

Tony shrugged his shoulders, “Eh. Everyone needs a freak out every once in a while. I’m just mad nobody was around to see you act human for once”

Phil rolled his eyes, standing up straight. “Everyone knows I’m human Tony, I _am_ about to ask your son to marry me after all…”

Tony just shook his head and bumped Phil’s shoulder with his fist, “Sure, sure. But we haven’t had _proof_ that that wasn’t in your programming, now we do.”

Phil sighed and shook his head, “I really do need to get something to show Clint how much we care…. If you’ll excuse me?”

Tony nodded and allowed Phil to leave via the elevator as he walked back to the kitchen (probably to get another pot of coffee).

Phil finally got back to the suite that he shared with Clint, and jogged over to the place he was keeping the engagement ring.

Sighing, Phil pulled the pretty little velvet box out of its hidey hole and shoved it into his pocket. _This is just my life. Every plan I make has to be thrown to the way side one way or another._

Phil and Clint’s anniversary had only been three weeks away, enough time for the archer to get out of the hospital and settle back into the tower.

But of _course_ Clint had to be contrary and force Phil into proposing early.

“You’re lucky I love you more than anything in the world,” Phil muttered to himself.

Clint thought that he wasn’t loved. That nobody cared about him, and couldn’t wait to throw him away like yesterday’s garbage. Well, Phil would fix that alright!

Huffing under his breath, Phil left the tower and headed back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. med bay to propose to his self-conscience boyfriend, the love of his goddamn life.

_If he says no, I’m going to keep asking him every day until one of us dies. Then, I’m going to keep asking him in heaven, or hell, until he says yes. Either way, Clint isn’t going to get rid of **me** that fucking easy. I fight for what I love, and Clinton Francis Barton Rogers Stark, you have a huge ass battle about to be on your hands. _

*****

Clint was miserable. He was sitting in a hospital room alone, and he had never felt more unloved in his life.

He had spilled everything to Phil! Every insecurity, every hardship, everything he thought was wrong with him, and what did he get in return? Nothing!

It was what Clint had expected, but not something he had really hoped for. Clint knew that nobody would want him around, not now that he was broken. There were still parts of him, however, that wanted Phil to squeeze him tight to his chest and tell Clint that everything would be alright.

_I’m so stupid! Why should I have **ever** expected these people to be different than anyone else? No one loves you Clint! Just get the fuck over it, and you’ll be a lot fucking happier, that’s for sure…_

Clint sniffed and raised a hand to wipe away a stray tear before any of the doctors or nurses saw it. Clint didn’t like to show his emotions around strangers, it made him feel weak. Like he couldn’t get anything together, and his life was spiraling out of control. _But, isn’t your life doing just that?_

Groaning under his breath, Clint raised up on his elbows and tried to inch himself up into a sitting position.

The view wasn’t any prettier sitting up than it was lying down. He had the same four walls, a turned off TV set that only had four channels to begin with, and a bunch of decaying flowers sitting on the window sill to his left. It was kind of pathetic.

“When can I get the fuck out of here,” Clint whispered to the walls.

“When you’ve healed”

Jerking, Clint turned his body to the doorway. Standing there was Phil, looking disheveled and not at all like the Agent Coulson that Clint knew and loved so much.

Dipping his head towards his chest, Clint hummed and turned away from the older man, trying to ignore his presence. It didn’t work, Clint was always _hyper_ aware of where Phil was at all times. Clint could feel Phil’s gaze on his back as the man walked across the floor of the room to sit down in the chair next to Clint’s bed. The room was silent as he did this, not even a beeping from the monitor to fill the room.

Clint knew the exact moment when Phil sat down, could hear the man clear his throat like he wanted to speak, could sense Phil shifting on the chair to find the perfect way to get comfortable.

Clint didn’t want to know all these things. He wanted to not know Phil or any of the Avengers at all and get the fuck away from everyone.

“Clint?”

Clint flinched at his name, his shoulders hunching up to his ears. Shaking his head, Clint kept his back to firmly to Phil and tried not to give him the time of day.

Phil just sighed, and Clint heard his stand up out of his chair. _Wow, leaving already? Why did you even show up in the first place?_

Clint closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable sound of a door shutting, but the sound didn’t come.

Opening his eyes, Clint jerked on the bed and tipped himself backward to find Phil on the other side of the bed, looking straight into Clint’s face, instead of his back.

Clint searched Phil’s eyes for a moment, but found nothing he wanted to see (not that he actually _knew_ what he wanted to see), and tried to turn away from the older man again.

He was stopped with a hand on his shoulder. “Clint, stop…. Please, just hear me out”

Clint turned his head to look back at Phil, frowning at the pain he saw in those beautiful baby blues.

Phil took a deep breath and released Clint’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier. I wanted to… I just didn’t know how”

Clint blinked. _Phil… At a loss for words? No way!_

Phil shook his head, “That you could feel that way. Feel that you weren’t loved, or that we could throw you away…. That _I_ could throw you away. It was so painful to hear! I didn’t know how to make it better at first… But now I do”

Clint frowned as he looked at Phil. He was pulling on his tie, which is something the man only does when he gets _really_ nervous. _What does Phil have to be nervous about?_

“Phil?” Clint asked softly.

Phil shook his head, his hand going to dig something out of his pocket. “Before the accident, I was planning something big with the Avengers for our anniversary. It was going to be the best kind of surprise, and I knew you were going to love it…. Well, our lives are never conventional anyway…”

Clint watched in shock as Phil finally pulled out a little velvet box and dropped down on to one knee.

“Clinton Francis Barton Rogers Stark, I may have known you since you were a bratty little pre-teen, but you’re the love of my life. I want to spend every morning waking up to you, and every night falling asleep to your face. I want to get married in a white church so my Catholic parents will be happy and adopt a billion kids…. You’re important to me Clint. So important, and I wouldn’t be able to live a day without you, scars and all” Phil smiled sweetly at that one, making Clint’s heart clench. “What do you say sweetheart, will you marry me?”

Clint’s mouth fell open as he stared at Phil. A wide smile slowly crossed his face as he tried his best to jump out of the bed to tackle Phil in a hug.

Luckily, the man knew where this was going, and caught Clint in mid-lunge, getting them both safely onto the bed. “So… Is that a yes?” he asked as he laughed.

Clint nodded, tears coming to his eyes and he began to press tiny kisses all over Phil’s face.

_Maybe I am loved, and maybe that voice in my head can go fuck itself._

“Are we interrupting something?”

Clint raised his head at the same time Phil did, both turning to look at the group of Avengers watching them at the doorway.

Clint grinned and nodded, “Phil proposed to me!!”

Clint heard somebody whoop as Bucky crashed into the room, “I CALLED IT MOTHERFUCKERS, YOU ALL OWE ME 20 BUCKS EACH!”

The entire room groaned as they all dug into the pockets and wallets, slapping money down onto Bucky’s outstretched hand.

Clint blinked and looked at Phil, who simply shrugged at Clint and grinned. Clint grinned back and pressed his lips to Phil’s, groaning at the taste.

“Ew. Cut it out you two, you’re making me nauseous”

Both men pulled away again, disgruntled at the interruption as they turned to look at Tony.

Tony simply winked, “Well we _had_ planned a whole engagement thing for your anniversary, but I _guess_ we can just change it to a regular old engagement party”

Phil rolled his eyes, “Have fun with that Tony, I’ll be here with Clint”

“That’s dad to you, son! We’re going to be related now”

Clint laughed as Phil paled and muttered something along the lines of, “Oh god, help me”

_Yeah, that voice in my head can go fuck itself._


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age: 22  
> Life Event: Marriage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have one chapter and a teaser left to go! Thank you all for reading and commenting and kudosing! I really hoped you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Also, yes this chapter is a lot of filler, but it was filler that was needed (to fulfill both smutty goodness, and some questions that needed to be answered)

“Clint Francis Barton you get your ass back in this room or so help me god I will kick your ever loving ass”

Clint’s shoulders rose up to his ears as he slowly turned around to face Natasha. Grinning sheepishly, Clint tried to give the older woman his best Steve puppy dog expression. It didn’t work.

Natasha simply tapped her foot against the granite of the bridal room at the church (or rather, groom taking on the ‘bride’s’ stance room) and raised an eyebrow up at him.

Clint huffed and walked back into his room and closed the door, “You’re no fun Aunt Tasha”

Natasha just hummed and dragged Clint back over to the chair that he had been sitting in while she had fussed with his hair. “Yes, I know you want to go to Phil’s room for a quick quickie, but the groom should never see the other groom before the wedding, its bad luck!”

Clint wrinkled his nose as she tugged a little harder on his spikey hair than she needed to. “There’s no such thing, Tash – and you know it! The rule is the _bride_ and groom shouldn’t see each other, _groom_ and groom can do whatever they want!”

Natasha smacked Clint gently on the cheek, “Since there is no bride, the rules have changed – suck it up buttercup, you’ll just have to see Phil at the alter”

Clint groaned and leaned forward to smash his face against the table he was sitting in front of. “Weddings suck. Have I told you how much weddings suck?”

“Only every day since Phil’s parents sent out the 1st invitations that you and Phil hated the design of” Natasha spoke into his ear soothingly. “But just think, after today – you and Phil have two weeks honeymoon, where you can bang each other to your heart’s delight”

Clint laughed, “I guess that _is_ true”

“And gross” added Bucky as he stepped into the room. “Nobody wants to hear how you and Coulson do the nasty”

Clint turned around and pointed at the older man, “And I didn’t need to know how you and Aunt Tasha do the nasty either, but _somebody_ was squeaking really damn loud in the room next to mine last night”

Bucky smirked, “Nat and I weren’t in that room punk. That was your two dads”

Clint’s face morphed into one of horror. “TMI! TMI! TMI! I HAD ENOUGH OF THAT WHEN I HIT PUBERTY, I DIDN’T NEED ANY MORE OF IT”

Natasha sighed and threw a couch pillow at Bucky’s face. “Go away, the groom must have calm on his wedding day, or I start breaking balls…”

Bucky grinned and made a kissy face in her direction. “Whatever you say honey bunches, just wanted Clinton hear to know the wedding starts in 30”

“He’ll be ready, not get out of here”

Bucky winked at Clint and then shut the door on his way out.

Clint groaned and smashed his face back into the table as the door opened again.

“Is he dead?” whispered Darcy over his head.

“Oh I highly doubt he’s dead,” whispered Pepper back. “He just wants this day over with”

“Ain’t that the truth” Natasha laughed out, “I’ve truthfully had it up to here with Phil’s cousins, and if this wedding doesn’t happen already I’m liable to snap.”

“Everybody is feeling that way about Phil’s cousins,” Jane giggled (something about weddings made her really bubbly, especially after having gone through her own nuptials with Thor the previous year). “Thor was telling me that Phil was ready to tear his hair out over their latest stunt”

Clint’s head shot up, “Stunt? What stunt? Phil didn’t tell me there was a _latest_ stunt!”

Natasha rolled her eyes, “Calm down. It was nothing”

“They died all of the groomsmen’s hair green”

Clint groaned and flopped forward.

Natasha sighed, “Tony paid for a stylist to come in and die them all back to their normal color, and everything is okay. I promise.”

Clint groaned, “Remember when this day was supposed to be about Phil and I? Remember that? Because I sure as hell don’t…”

The women in Clint’s room all ‘awwwwed’ and surrounded the archer, pressing hugs and kisses to their depressed younger man.

“Don’t worry Clint,” Pepper assured him. “Your day will be perfect, just you see”

“Yeah! And if those turds try to make things turn for the worst, me and Jane got your back with some crazy stuff” Darcy assured him, with a grinning Jane in the background.

Clint smiled, “I’ve never seen someone give a wedgie at a wedding before, but that might make the day a whole lot better in my book”

Natasha hummed and grabbed something out of her big bag of tricks. “That’s wonderful. Now, you have some red on your cheek from the table, let me cover that up”

Clint’s eyes went wide, “Oh god. You’re putting make up on me. Lord save me”

Natasha smirked. “Shut up and hold still you big baby”

 

*****

Phil was pacing back and forth in the groom’s suite, his hands clasped in front of him and he bit down on his lower lip.

“Cheese, Jesus Christ on a crutch man, take it easy!” Nick murmured from where he was sitting.

Phil glared at his best man, “Easy for you to say Marcus, _you_ aren’t the one getting married!”

Nick simply rolled his eyes and stood up, cigar in one hand, and a glass of premium scotch in the other. “What are you so worried about, Cheese? Clint has been in love with you since the first day you two met when he was 13 years old, trust me – he ain’t letting you go any time soon, that’s for sure…”

Phil sighed and felt his knees fold under him as he flopped down onto the couch. His hands came up to press against his eyes as he rested his elbows on his knees. “I know that, but that was technically _before_ he met my dysfunctional family. I mean Jesus, my eldest cousin is in his 40s and he still thought it was funny to die everyone’s hair green! Thank god they hadn’t got it into their brains to replace the shampoo with Nair, or everybody would be bald…. I guess you would fit in finally Marcus”

Nick rolled his eyes, “Oooo you made a funny. I’m so proud. Now, are you seriously worried that Clint is gonna dump you on your wedding day because of your family? You _have_ met the Avengers and his brother Barney, right? To him, your family is only something that is pissing _you_ off, and it’s getting him mad that you’re feeling like shit. There is no leaving you involved.”

Phil scrubbed at his face and leaned back against the couch, his throat bare of the deep purple tie (Clint’s choice) he had yet to tie on. “I know that Marcus, I do…. But I don’t _know_ it, you know?”

“God help me but I do…. I’ve been corrupted”

Phil rolled his eyes, “Shut up.” Shaking his head, Phil let his hands fall away from his face as he looked around the room, “I wish I could see him, but Natasha threatened to chop my balls off if I even tried it”

Nick snorted and took a drag from his cigar (a gift from Tony Stark to all the men as a gift “on the day of my son’s wedding,” spoken in the traditional Godfather accent of course). “You’ll see him during the ceremony. And _yes_ Cheese, you _will_ see him during the ceremony. I’m sure the little shit can’t wait to be tied to you for the rest of his life”

Phil smiled up at Nick, “I can’t wait to be tied to him for the rest of my life either”

Nick wrinkled his nose and took a sip of his scotch before speaking again. “That right there is why I will never settle down, _mushiness._ You two are so full of sap they could put a pipe in you both and get some syrup for their pancakes. _Disgusting_ ”

Phil chuckled, “Aww Marcus – you metaphored… Just for me”

“Shove it up your ass Cheese”

“Aww, love you too Marcus”

“Asshole”

Phil just winked, feeling a whole lot better.

 

*****

Tony glared at Steve and continued his pacing along the corridor outside of Clint’s room.

“You’re acting like a child”

Tony huffed and spun to face his husband, “I am not! I just think it’s unfair that we, Clint’s _parents,_ aren’t allowed to see him before we walk him down the aisle! It’s not fair, dammit! Father’s get to see their kids before the wedding all the damn time, why can’t we?”

Steve sighed and pushed himself off of the wall he had been leaning against, “You’re being melodramatic Tony. It’s not like you were gonna do anything but ply Clint with alcohol that he has no stomach for and then cry like a baby that ‘our little boy is all grown up and saving China,’ and yes, I do know what that means Tony, I’ve seen Mulan 12 times since we adopted Clint…”

Tony wrinkled his nose and spun on his heel to go sit in the seats that adorned the Church’s hallway before entering the actual chapel. “I don’t understand why you’re so cool-headed about this. Clint is your son too, don’t you and I have a right to see him?”

Steve hummed and followed Tony to the seats, sitting gracefully into the chair next to Tony’s. “I know Natasha and Pepper and Darcy and Jane and Melinda and Maria are handling Clint and Phil just fine without us, that’s why I’m so calm. Besides, we get to walk Clint down the aisle, they don’t. Be lucky for small mercies babe”

Tony made a face and looked up at the ceiling, “You need to stop being so damn logical, I hate when you make sense”

Steve laughed, “You just hate being wrong and me being right”

“…. That too”

Steve just rolled his eyes, an amused smirk on his face as he pressed his hand against Tony’s on the genius’s lap.

Tony looked down at their interlocked hands and smiled softly, his hand turning so that he could tangle his fingers against Steve’s. “Do you remember our wedding day?”

 

*****

Clint glared at Natasha, “I’m not holding those”

Natasha grinned, “Come on now. You’re in the more feminine role between you and Phil, don’t you want a pretty bouquet to show it?”

Clint narrowed his eyes, “You know damn well I do fucking not want a pretty bouquet to walk down the fucking aisle with”

Natasha laughed, “Such language – and in a church! What would Phil’s parents have to say about your tongue, Clint? What with them being extremely religious and all”

Clint rolled his eyes, “One – there aren’t going to know about my tongue, unless _you_ tell them, and if you do, I’ll have to tell Bucky all about your love affair with the color pink. Two – his parents can’t be _that_ religious, otherwise they would be having a fucking cow over the fact that their little Catholic boy was marrying another boy, and not a god-loving, brunette, baby rearing _woman.”_

Natasha snorted, “Bucky know of my love affair with pink, and if he dared try and laugh at me for it, I would tell Stark about his love affair with the color periwinkle, and two – alright, I get it, no more messing with Clint. Got it, fair and square”

Clint smiled, “Damn straight you do”

“Don’t push it”

“Yes ma’am”

 

*****

Phil glared at the photographer and shifted in his suit for the fifth time.

“Cheese I swear to all that is holy and voluptuous, if you do not stop bouncing around I’m bumping you down to level 2!”

Phil huffed and stood still as the photographer took yet _another_ goddamn photograph of ‘groom number one’ and his groomsmen. “I hate having my picture taken Marcus, and you know it!”

Nick just rolled his eye, “Yeah well – so do I, but you don’t hear or see me complaining, now do you?”

Phil huffed, “That’s because you’re getting a kick out of my pain. Remind me why I let Stark talk me into this again?”

Nick hummed and shifted his body as the photograph began to order them into different positions, “Because he told you that Clint needs the memories and that Clint didn’t actually have a picture of you, and since you are _whipped,_ you cracked like a baseball through a window”

Phil groaned, “Right…..”

Before Nick could give Phil a rebuttal, the photographer clapped his hands and waved them about in the air. “Okay! That’s good, everyone! You all need to leave now so I can get the pictures of groom number two and his attendants. Shoo, now! Go!” the photographer flapped his hands at the men like they were birds.

Phil just raised his eyebrow, but left the room despite the absurdity of the photographer’s request. “Marcus, if I didn’t love Clint so much, I would run to him and force him into an elopement in Vegas”

Nick just snorted, “I bet Clint is feeling the same way….”

 

*****

“Remind me why I have to wear a monkey suit again?”

“Because you’re getting married”

“…. Couldn’t I have gotten married in slacks and a nice button down instead?”

“No”

“But-”

“No”

“I didn’t even get a chance for a rebuttal!”

“Because you don’t even have a good one. Now shut up and go look pretty for the cameras”

“Why do all the women in my life hate me?”

“We don’t hate you, you’re just a big gremlin that we can get to play dolly with. Now come on, the photographer is a pain in the ass and I don’t want to have to deal with him longer than I have to”

“… I want to elope. Can I elope? I’m calling to call Phil so we can elope”

“You try that and you and Phil will never be able to have sexual intercourse ever again”

“…. I love this! I love weddings! Yaaaay, churches! Woohoo!”

“Mhmmm, that’s what I thought”

 

*****

Tony hooked his thumb into the back of Steve’s pants and put on his best publicity grin, “Remind me why I thought this was a good idea?” he muttered between clenched teeth.

“Because you wanted Clint and Phil and the rest of us to have these memories preserved forever” Steve muttered between clenched teeth back.

“Well I was a fucking idiot”

“No cursing in church”

“God will forgive me”

“One can only hope”

The photographer clapped his hands and had Tony and Steve sit down (thank fuck), so that he could get pictures of groom number one’s parents again.

Phil’s parents were nice, if Tony really thought about it. They were mostly strict Catholic, both in their mid-60s, they had the look of a traditional middle class older couple. Tony hadn’t really gotten along with them too well, his morals from his past were just a tad _too_ much for the Coulsons, but they had absolutely _flipped_ over Steve.

_Apparently,_ Phil’s love affair with the good old Captain didn’t come about on its own. Oh no, it had been passed down, the Cap love was a _family_ affair. Ton was pretty sure Papa Coulson had almost pissed his pants the first time he shook hands with Steve.

Besides the creepy obsession with his boyfriend and their reserved attitude towards Tony, they really were nice people. They may have been born into a strict faith, but they didn’t believe in all that ‘mumbo jumbo god hates f-hags nonsense’. According to them, God wanted everyone to be loved, no matter who they are, and God would never want them to hate their son if he preferred his own gender than to the opposite one.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re going to get away with not having a church wedding and a proper baptizing of their children” Mama Coulson had giggled when they had first met.

“We raised our boy to respect the Lord and his faith, and to make sure his family did too. Even if Clint isn’t much on religion, not that anyone would expect him to be after all that he’s been through, poor lad, the children should at least have that comfort that god brings into their lives” Papa Coulson had spoken after his wife.

Tony and Steve had simply nodded, not even wanting to _try_ and argue about people’s freedom of choice of religion. The Coulsons weren’t as pushy as some other Catholic nuts they had met, so why try and tear their hopes and dreams apart?

The photographer clapped his hands again, “Perfect! I have gotten all of the pictures _I_ need, so I will leave you with my assistant Fernando to take pictures of the actual wedding and reception. Au revoire!” With that, the man left all his equipment for his assistants to pack away and left the church in a flurry of fabric.

Fernando, the assistant in charge of the rest of the photography, began to clean up. “My name is Frank you washed up floosy” the assistant muttered to himself.

Tony just snorted and covered it up with a cough when the assistant turned to look at him.

 

*****

Phil stood next to the minister and stared at the cross behind the man’s back, trying his damn hardest not to turn around to look at Clint as the younger man walked down the aisle. It was a tradition in the Coulson family that not until the bride (or in this case, groom) had been given away by their father (or father and mother, or in this case father _s_ ), could you turn to look at them. (If you asked Phil, it was a stupid rule because _come on_ , he hadn’t seen Clint in over a week! It SUCKED)

Phil closed his eyes and hummed the Wedding march under his breath as he tried to calculate how far Clint, Tony, and Steve were down the aisle. The song had been playing for precisely 30 seconds, and each of the three men had moderately long legs – so if Phil’s math was correct, the three men were about 20 paces away from Phil (about 20 more seconds worth of song time).

Humming and keeping time, Phil wondered what Clint looked like. Was he wearing a purple tie? Did he have a bouquet, or did he just have a corsage type thing? Was he wearing a bow tie instead of a regular tie? Tux or suit? What did his hair look like? Was it spikey like usual, or did Natasha do something different with it in honor of the wedding?

_Damn, not being able to see him is **killing** me. _

Finally, the wedding march strained its final notes and the procession was seated.

“Who gives away this man?” The minister asked of the room about Clint.

Phil kept his gaze firmly on the back wall, but could feel Clint’s gaze between his shoulder blades.

“We do” Tony and Steve said in unison.

_Oh thank god._ Taking in a breath, Phil turned around to finally face Clint.

His breath froze in his chest at the sight.

_My god, he’s fucking gorgeous._

Clint smiled up at Phil, his whole body glowing. Clint was wearing a tux that clung to his body like a second skin. He had a deep, deep, violet purple bow tie tied around his neck, which matched the waist-coat he was wearing underneath his tux coat perfectly. He had a bouquet of violets, purple tulips, and purple roses clenched in his right hand, and _fuck_ his[ hair](http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/jeremy-renner/images/18803753/title/swat-screencap)! He was gorgeous, and Phil would be lying if he said he didn’t get a little hard just staring at Clint.

Clint raised an eyebrow at Phil’s staring and his smile morphed into a smirk. Phil then realized that a significant amount of time had passed, and Phil should probably take Clint’s and move things along.

Holding his hand out, palm up, Phil waited for Clint to take his hand.

 

*****

_Holy fuck, I think I’m going to puke._

Despite the bravado of three seconds earlier at Phil’s adorable staring, Clint now stared at his future husband’s hand with nervous butterflies in his belly.

_The second I take his hand, there’s no turning back. Oh god, I’m marrying Phil._

“Clint?” Phil whispered softly, “Are you alright?”

Clint gulped and nodded jerkily his hand shooting out to grab at Phil’s. Clint related the experience to ripping off a band aid – the quicker you do it, the less regret you feel.

Phil squeezed Clint’s hand and walked with him closer to the minister to start the wedding. Clint was shaking in his boots, but felt grounded by Phil’s hand over his.

It was the same comforting feeling that Clint always had when Phil was talking to him over the comm during a fight or op. It was the feeling that Phil was there, that Phil understood, and that Phil would always keep you safe.

It made Clint want to always make sure Phil felt the same way about his voice and touch. That Phil knew Clint would always be there for comfort, safety, and understanding. (Now that Clint thought about it, maybe Kate was right, Clint and Phil had been married for years and never realized it, they were just making it _official_ now).

“Does anybody hear have any objections to these two being wed?”

_Woah, what? How in the hell did we get here so quickly? Jesus Christ, I need to stop inner-monologuing._

The church stayed silent (and everyone there knew if anyone had tried to object, they would have every single S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent and Avenger on their ass in ten seconds flat), and the minister smiled, “Good. Do you have the rings?”

Clint looked at Phil in horror, _WHAT RINGS, NOBODY GAVE ME A RING!_

Phil just chuckled under his breath and sent a whistle toward the back of the church.

Confused, Clint turned his head and felt his mouth drop open at the sight that awaited him.

There was Lucky, dressed in a doggy tux (top hat included), trotting down the aisle with a pillow in his mouth that had two rings tied onto it. Lucky made it to Phil and sat down in front of the older man, sticking his snout out so Phil could grab the pillow.

Phil grinned and grabbed the pillow in one hand, his other reaching into his pocket to grab a treat and hand it to Lucky. “Good boy pizza dog”

Lucky barked and trotted to Clint’s side and laid down on top of his feet. Clint just blinked as he looked down at his dog, aware only somewhat of the whole church crowd laughing at the scene.

“Took me 5 months to teach him how to do that, and he ends up laying on your shoes… I give up” Phil muttered as he got the rings off of the pillow.

Clint just looked back at Phil, _you trained my dog to give us the rings. Jesus **Christ** Phil, you’re getting laid the second we’re alone. _

“What a good friend he is, to give you both your rings. Now it is time for your vows” The minister said to the two men, amused.

Phil grinned at Clint and picked up the bigger of the two rings in-between his thumb and his pointer finger.

 

*****

“…And I now pronounce you, husband and husband. You may kiss”

Phil grinned and leaned over to press his lips against Clint’s, his original plan to dip Clint into a kiss thwarted by Lucky and his presence over Clint’s shoes.

Clint smiled against his lips, the archer’s hands coming up to cup Phil’s cheeks.

Phil held back a moan that wanted to escape his lips as he pressed his body closer to Clint’s, only to have Lucky jump up from Clint’s feet and try to get in on the action. Standing on his hind legs, Lucky pressed his front paws against Clint and Phil’s bodies and barked in their ears, his tongue coming out to lick what skin he could find.

Phil broke away from Clint with a laugh, smiling when Clint pushed Lucky down with his hands.

“Way to ruin a moment pizza dog! No reception pizza for you!”

Lucky whined and butted his head against Clint’s legs, “Fine. One slice, and that’s it”

Lucky barked and wagged his tail, jumping back up to lick Clint’s face.

Phil grinned and waited for the dog to jump back down before grabbing Clint’s hand and running with him out of the church and into the awaiting limo.

“I hope Natasha nabbed Lucky before he could follow us!” Phil shouted to Clint as they ran.

“Katie-Kate got him!” Clint laughed back as they dived into the limo, the car roaring away from the church as the people stood on the steps and waved to them.

Phil took a deep breath and laid back against the seats, “Holy crap – it’s over”

Clint chuckled and followed Phil’s example, “Now all we have to deal with is the reception. I’m sure we can handle that….”

Phil hummed and looked over at Clint, grinning at the younger man. “I’m sure we can too… But, you know, it takes us 45 minutes to get to the reception hall…”

Clint raised an eyebrow, “Are you propositioning Mr. Coulson”

Phil smirked and pulled Clint to straddle his lap, “Absolutely Mr. Coulson”

Clint grinned and pressed his hands against Phil’s shoulders, “Good. I love being propositioned”

 

~

“ _Oh god Phil, harder!”_

Phil moaned and pushed Clint’s legs closer to his chest, his hips thrusting faster as he got closer to his climax. “Fuck baby, you feel _so_ good. Do you like my cock inside you? Is that what you like from your husband?”

Clint whimpered and bit his lower lip, nodding as Phil began to pound against his prostate.

“What was that?” Phil growled, “I didn’t hear you speak”

“Yes! Yes, I love your cock inside me! I want my husband’s cock in me every day for the rest of our lives!” Clint wailed as Phil began to pick up his pace.

Phil smirked and leaned down to bite into Clint’s shoulder hard enough to leave a bruise as he fucked his husband as hard as he could.

Clint screeched and dug his nails into Phil’s back, his balls tightening as his climax began to build to volcanic proportions. _“Phil! I need to come! I-I-I’m almost there!”_

Phil kept pounding away as his hand came up to tug at Clint’s cock, his teeth beginning to scrape against Clint’s skin.

Clint’s hips began to move on their own volition as his cock was stroked by Phil’s hand. It wasn’t too long before Clint was screaming and coming so hard there were stars in his eyes, Phil following him not long after in the same position. (Thank god the limo was sound proof, otherwise that poor limo driver would have been scarred for life!)

Phil groaned as he spurted inside his lover, loving the freedom of them both being clean, and able to go bareback for the first time.

Clint was panting softly in his ear as Phil detached his teeth from his shoulder and began to press tiny kisses all the way from Clint’s shoulder, up to his red lips.

Clint moaned into Phil’s kiss and moved his hands up to cup the back of Phil’s head, his fingers tangling through Phil’s hair.

“God that was amazing” Clint finally whispered into the car after several minutes of silence as the two men had tried to get their bodies under control.

“Most explosive climax I’ve ever had” Phil agreed softly.

Clint smiled and kissed Phil sweetly, the two men sharing a tender moment as the limo bumped its way along the gravel path to the reception hall.

“I think we should get dressed before we give everyone a show they don’t want to see” Phil said to Clint.

Clint grinned, “Aww – you mean I shouldn’t let everyone see this fine ass?” As he spoke, Clint grabbed Phil’s butt cheeks and squeezed.

Phil groaned, but pulled away to sit up. “As hot as that was baby, we need to get dressed again”

Clint huffed, “You’re no fun”

Phil grinned as began to put back on his clothes, “Sorry about that.Too late now for you though, you married me, so I guess we’re stuck with one another for oh… let’s say…. Eternity?”

Clint chuckled as he slid on his tux pants, “Eternity sounds good to me…. Even if you are no fun”

 

*****

Tony and Steve were waiting with Phil’s parents at the huge wedding procession table for Clint and Phil to arrive.

Tony could hear Phil’s parents muttering to themselves about how they didn’t understand why Phil and Clint’s limo was in the parking lot, but the two men weren’t in the building yet.

Tony understood why. Yes, he _definitely_ understood, and _god,_ he did not need that visual!

Tony knew that this day was coming, knew what it would mean, but there was still a little part of him that didn’t want to accept it. Didn’t want to accept that his baby boy was now a married man that was currently cleaning himself up from having sex with his husband on the way to their reception. Yeah, no, Tony was trying his hardest to fight his utter denial of that fact.

As he sat there and waited for his son and son-in-law to enter the room, all he could think about was the past 9 years that Clint had been in his life.

Steve must have sensed Tony’s thoughts and nudged him, “Penny for them?” he whispered in Tony’s ear.

Tony smiled and turned his head, “Do you remember when Clint thought he had flushed his goldfish down the drain and cried over ‘his little buddy Nemo’ for four hours?”

Steve laughed, “I do remember that! He was inconsolable until poor Tyler came in and handed him the fishbowl with Nemo swimming around. Wasn’t it that Clint had forgotten that he had given Tyler permission to take Nemo for show and tell a pre-school, and then freaked when he saw something orange in the toilet as he was cleaning it?”

Tony nodded, “Yep. I still, to this day, wonder why Clint had though he flushed Nemo… Or how he thought Nemo had gotten into the toilet to begin with…”

Steve chuckled, “I always wondered why he was cleaning the toilet when we have cleaning robots for that”

Tony wrinkled his nose, “That was when they all went on strike, remember? They were trying to get me to create a whole room just for them, and when I didn’t, they went on strike”

Steve’s eyes went wide, “That’s _right!_ I had forgotten about that!”

Tony chuckled, “Sometimes I forget about that little incident myself”

Steve laughed, “Wow. Time has really flown, hasn’t it?”

Tony sighed and leaned his head against Steve’s shoulder, “Yes…. Yes, it really has”

 

*****

Clint and Phil eventually got their clothes on and entered the reception hall (after Phil being distracted by Clint’s ass and just _having_ to have his wicked way with it again), and tried hard to ignore all of the knowing stares.

Phil’s parents, oblivious to the fact that they had been waiting for 25 minutes for the son to show up because he was having sex, stood up and shouted out, “Three cheers for the married couple!”

Cheers and yelling went around the room as Clint and Phil waved and walked to their spots at the middle of the procession table, smack dab between both sets of parents and their attendants in the wedding.

Clint looked around and sighed when he spotted Lucky scarfing down pizza like it was the last pie on Earth, his doggy tux covered in grease and tomato sauce.

“At least he looked dignified during the wedding” Phil murmured in his ear as his hand slid up Clint’s leg to squeeze his thigh reassuringly.

Clint hummed, “Yeah I know. But now he’s going to be so spoiled Phil, we’ll never satisfy him with Little Cesare’s pizza after this organic stuff now!”

Phil laughed and pressed his lips to Clint’s neck before settling back in his own chair to chat to his parents while the food was being served to everyone.

 

*****

“And now it’s time for the happy married couple to dance their first dance as husband and husband”

Phil sighed as the DJ began to play a jazzy hit from the 40s, slow enough that Phil could wrap his arms around Clint and just sway to… If his damn scar wasn’t giving him so much trouble.

Even though it had been a couple of years since the Loki Incident, if Phil exerted himself too much all in one hit, his scar began to pull and burn, and it was just unpleasant overall.

Of course, Phil couldn’t tell Clint that. Phil didn’t want anything about the wedding or the reception to be ruined, and he didn’t want their first dance as a married couple to be scraped just because he was feeling twinges in his torso and shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Phil tried to push aside the pain as Clint stepped into his arms and rested his head on Phil’s shoulder (luckily, on the one that wasn’t in pain). The two men began to sway slowly to the music, and Phil was breathing through the pain as best he could.

“You need to stop being the hero,” Clint muttered into his ear.

Phil blinked and looked down at his husband, “What?”

“Your scar is giving you pains. I can tell Phil, that you’re hurting. You don’t have to soldier on baby, I didn’t need this dance if it hurts you to do it”

Phil sighed and rested his cheek against Clint’s hair. “I forgot how perceptive you are”

Clint hummed and moved his hand under Phil’s jacket and up to his shoulder to massage at the kinks and twinges that were plaguing Phil, “They don’t call me Hawkeye for nothing”

Groaning softly as how could Clint’s ministrations felt, Phil just hummed in response and kept his rested himself just a little bit against Clint, eventually becoming a pile of goo as Clint began to get rid of the pain in his shoulder and chest with his massage.

“Feel better?” Clint whispered as the song began to come to a close.

Phil just hummed and nodded, his whole body lax and languid.

“I’ll take that as a yes” Clint laughed as he pulled out of Phil’s arms and walked him back to their seats.

Phil smiled sleepily as he sat down, his eyes drooping as he rested his body against Clint’s shoulder, almost purring when he felt Clint’s arm wrap around his shoulders.

“Love you Phil”

“Love you too” Phil murmured as he kinda, possibly, maybe, fell asleep.

 

*****

There was supposed to be a hell of a lot more to the reception. Dancing, eating, cutting of the cake, alcohol, you know, the works. Clint and Phil weren’t supposed to leave until after midnight when the guests would start streaming back to their homes and hotels, allowing the grooms to journey to airport and head to their honeymoon.

But of course _that_ didn’t happen.

Which, of course, _no one_ tried to blame them for. After all, they had all _seen_ Phil _literally_ fall _asleep_ on his husband at his _own_ reception! It’s obvious the two needed to go home and rest after such a long day, and before they had to catch the red eye flight. Both sets of parents assured Clint as he stroked a sleeping Phil’s forehead, that the cake could be frozen and cut when they got back, their dance was the only dance that really mattered, and the rest could be done with the guests without the two grooms present.

So, taking this to heart, Clint woke his sleepy husband up and got them packed out the door and into the awaiting limo.

The crowd of people that had gone to the reception all stood outside and waved goodbye at the newlyweds, much like they had done earlier at the church. Clint paid them no mind as he got Phil settled into the limo and as comfortable as possible, smiling as his husband fell right back asleep, his body huddled around Clint’s like a giant octopus (something he usually accused Clint of doing). Clint hummed a lullaby under his breath as he stroked Phil’s hair, his own eyes beginning to droop as the car’s motion on the road began to lull him to sleep.

 

*****

Phil woke up warm and comfortable about an hour after Clint had shuttled him into the limo. Looking downwards, Phil smiled as his husband slept underneath Phil’s body, his mouth open as he drooled slightly.

_God, you’re adorable and I’m so glad you married me. Seriously, I am._

Humming, Phil nuzzled himself closer to Clint on the limo seat and contented himself with watching Clint sleep until they got to where they were going (Phil is pretty sure it’s the apartment and not the airport due to how early it was)

Clint made a cute snoring noise as Phil did this (Phil had yet to convince his archer that, _yes,_ he _did_ snore), and cuddled his body even closer to Phil’s than what Phil had done a minute or two earlier.

Smiling, Phil reclosed his eyes and let himself take another short nap before they reached the Tower.

 

~

Phil was awoken by the limo coming to a stop and a car door slamming. _Driver must be coming around to get us…_

Disentangling himself from Clint’s arms, Phil smiled as the archer made a pitiful noise at the loss of Phil’s warmth. Leaning down, Phil pressed a kiss to Clint’s lips, “Alright Sleeping Beauty, time to wake up and smell the roses”

Clint groaned and cracked open one eye to look blearily up at Phil, “Do I havta?”

Phil nodded, “Yep. We’ve arrived at the tower… I think… So we have to exit the vehicle before the poor limo driver kicks us out”

Clint muttered under his breath and sat up, “Fine. But only because you asked so nicely babe”

Phil hummed, appeasing his husband, and grabbed Clint’s hand as he edged his way across the seat and out the car door.

Phil’s prediction was correct, the driver had taken them back to the tower to get some rest before their red eye later in the evening.

Phil thanked the man and assured him that Phil and Clint would be waiting outside the tower doors at precisely 11:30 so that they could make it to the airport on time for their flight.

Wrapping his arm around his still half-asleep husband, Phil waved to the limo driver and walked Clint into the tower and up to their suite.

Clint kept his face tucked up against Phil’s neck as the two men traveled in the elevator to their floor, his arms wrapping around Phil’s waist in the perfect simulation of an octopus’s embrace.

It was perfect truthfully. Phil wouldn’t want his archer any other way, nor would he have changed the way their wedding day had gone at all. (So what if Tony had gotten them a layered red velvet cake that would make the angels weep? Phil and Clint got to spend even more time together alone than they were originally planning, and Phil wasn’t going to look a gift horse in its mouth).

 

*****

Clint didn’t really wake up until he and Phil were fully in their suite, and when he did, it was to a boner and an empty suite where he and his husband could have all the sex they want before they have to leave for their honeymoon.

Smiling, Clint reached down and cupped Phil’s groin with his hand, squeezing softly as his mouth began to move across Phil’s neck.

Phil moaned and pushed Clint’s hand away so that he could unbuckle and unzip his pants to pull his cock out into the open air of the room.

Purring, Clint moved his mouth away from Phil’s neck and disentangled his body from Phil’s. Moving to Phil’s front, Clint dropped to his knees and immediately slipped the Phil’s entire length into his mouth, deep-throating Phil’s cock like a champ.

“Fuck, Clint!” Phil shouted, his hands going to the archer’s hair to make sure his boy’s mouth stayed on his cock.

Clint moaned and began to bob his head up and down, his hands coming up to play with Phil’s balls and to press at the spot right behind them. The spot that was bound to get Phil riled up and ready for anything Clint wanted to give him.

“Fuck baby you suck my cock so good”

Clint purred with pride at Phil’s words and pulled his mouth off of Phil’s cock, another target already in mind. Phil growled and tried to push Clint’s head back onto his member, but Clint easily pushed the hands away and pulled Phil onto the ground with him.

“Clint?”

Not bothering to answer, Clint pulled Phil’s pants off his legs and shoved the man’s legs apart.

“Clint? What the fuck are you – _oh fuck, do that again_ ”

Clint smiled and shoved his tongue into Phil’s asshole, his hands coming up to grab onto Phil’s thighs as he rimmed his lover with everything he had in him.

Phil wailed and Clint smiled in satisfaction as his body shook from pleasure

*****

Phil was in full-on ecstasy. He had never felt as much pleasure as he was feeling with Clint’s tongue doing mind-blowing things inside him. Moaning louder than Phil thought possible, Phil reached down and grasped his cock, squeezing the bottom of his length to stave off his oncoming orgasm.

_I’m not coming until I’m in Clint’s ass._

Reaching down, Phil griped Clint’s hair and tugged hard. His archer pulled his tongue out of Phil and looked up at his in confusion. Phil just leered and tugged at Clint’s hair, forcing the younger man to crawl up Phil’s body to eventually straddle his hips.

Phil hummed and ran his hands up and down Clint’s thighs, “You still loose from earlier?”

Clint nodded, and that was all Phil needed to raise his boy up and slam his cock into him.

Clint let out a screech of delight and the race to the finish was on. Both men were thrusting against each other as they tried to hit their climaxes, the moans and panting filling the air around the suite as their bodies created the perfect ‘just had sex’ odor that the suite was quite used to in the 5 years or so that Clint and Phil had been together.

“Oh god Phil! I’m gonna come!”

Phil growled in response, his hand coming up to stroke Clint’s cock as fast as he could. “Come for me Clint, come for me! Paint our stomachs with your come!”

Clint wailed and climaxed at Phil’s words, his come shooting out and covering their bodies. Phil, already ready to burst, was so aroused by the sight that his own climax as ripped out of him. Phil gave a muted shout and gasped at the pleasure going through his body.

Clint groaned and flopped forward onto Phil’s chest, nuzzling Phil’s shoulder as Phil wrapped his arms around him.

“Fuck Phil, that was even better than in the limo earlier”

Phil chuckled, “and I guess it’s just gonna keep getting better throughout the honeymoon and after”

“… Fuck I’m going to die from too many orgasms”

Phil rolled his eyes and kissed Clint’s sweaty hair.

 

*****

Tony raised his glass, “To the absent Phil and Clint!”

“To Phil and Clint!” The crowd chorused as they all took sips of their drinks.

Tony smiled and leaned back against Steve, happy that the reception was coming to a close, and that soon Clint and Phil would be on a plane to Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Humming, Tony retook his seat next to Steve and looked at the table full of Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents that had shared the wedding day with Phil and Clint (and luckily, Phil’s parents had gone home half an hour ago and weren’t privy to some of the more ‘debauched’ things the wedding party had done in their and the wedding couple’s absence).

“I’m glad Cheese is finally happy” Nick said to the table before taking a sip of his whiskey.

Tony nodded, “He’s deserves it. Just like Clint does”

Fury hummed, “Yeah – neither of them have had the nicest of lives”

Tony snorted, “I can imagine so. I mean, besides Clint’s whole backstory crap, the deafness, his near miss at epilepsy and Jesus, Phil died at one point! Couldn’t remember a damn thing for months”

Fury rolled his eyes and took another sip of his drink, “That wasn’t what I was referring to at all, I was talking about when Phil first started at S.H.I.E.L.D. Back he was still a kid himself”

Tony raised an eyebrow, “Agent had a hard time fitting in when he got to S.H.I.E.L.D. in his 20s? How tragic”

Fury raised an eyebrow, “Did I ever say he started in his 20s? Cheese didn’t start at S.H.I.E.L.D. in his 20s”

Tony blinked, “Uh. Your old age is getting you Fury. There is no way Coulson started in his 30s because I have known Agent since he was 25”

“Your point would be?”

“….. Are you saying Coulson started at S.H.I.E.L.D. before his 20s?”

Fury nodded, “That is _exactly_ what I am saying”

Tony blinked, “How old was he?”

Fury smiled, “15”

Tony’s jaw dropped as gasps went around the table as the Avengers (yes, even Natasha) looked at Fury in shock. “No fucking way!”

Fury chuckled, “Yes way”

Steve spluttered, “But that’s illegal!”

Fury shrugged his shoulders before taking another sip of his drink, “He wanted to do it – his parents signed off on it, thinking that he was going away to military school, it worked out perfectly well… in the end anyway”

Tony blinked, “In the end? What about in the beginning… Or in the middle….?”

Fury sighed, “Well besides his… untimely almost death. There was a lot of bigotry at S.H.I.E.L.D., luckily it has tamped down by a lot now, but back in the day it was everywhere. Cheese had no problem telling people that he was a homosexual, despite the fact that is used to get his ass kicked every day…. Actually, he usually kicked their asses in return so it was just a daily Phil Coulson beats up the bigots workout routine, but I digress. It was his perseverance that got him to the position he’s at today, and I couldn’t be happier for him”

The team around them all just stared at Fury in muted shock. _Damn, no wonder he was so good at talking to Clint._

“Is that the reason he-?” muttered Natasha

“Became a guidance counselor to youths having trouble with their sexualities?” Fury interrupted, “Yes. He wanted to give those kids something he never had, can’t say I blame him at all”

Tony just blinked, “So…. Do you have any _other_ children working for your government agency that we should know about?”

Fury snorted, “Nope. Phil was the one and only actually… Not for lack of trying on my part, but I can’t complain now that he’s in my organization anyway”

Steve frowned, “Who did you want to pick up as a kid?”

Fury chugged the rest of his glass of whiskey, “Your son.”

“What?!”

Fury rolled his eyes, “Chill the fuck out Stark. Before I could get to Clint, you two adopted the boy and I thought him much better suited around you Avengers – him being around you super-heroes gave him the bug, which worked in my favor of course. Now I have the best of the best in every direction. Best damn team in the whole world, and trust me, the WSC can suck it if they say otherwise”

Tony snorted and rolled his eyes, “Jesus Christ Fury. You really _are_ an asshole”

Fury smirked as he stood up to get another drink, “I _am_ a government official Mr. Stark – you’d do best to remember that”

 

*****

“Clint come on, cut that out!” Phil hissed to his partner.

Clint simply giggled and nipped at Phil’s neck again, “Chill out babe – no one is watching us, I promise. You hissing like that is what is going to set us off to people!”

Phil glared at his husband, “I am not joining the mile high club, and that is final”

Clint tsked and pressed another kiss to right below Phil’s left ear, a spot that made the man all gooey inside (and Clint used that information to his advantage…. Frequently), “Live a little baby. Life is about having fun, isn’t it?” Clint whispered into Phil’s ear, making the man shudder in lust.

“Sure it is. But not on a plane!”

Clint huffed and leaned back, “Spoilsport”

“And don’t you forget it!”

Clint rolled his eyes and grabbed the Sky Mall magazine to read on their flight over to LAX (with their second flight connecting to the Honolulu airport).

The two sat in silence for 20 minutes before Phil finally gave in. Growling, Phil stood up and turned to face Clint, “Meet me in the bathroom in 5 minutes” he hissed before leaving.

Clint grinned and whistled to himself as he mentally counted down 5 minutes.

 

*****

“I was really surprised that it was my parents that paid for this honeymoon to Honolulu. I was sure that Tony was going to whisk us away on his private jet to Fiji or some other exotic place like that”

Clint smiled at Phil and grabbed the older man’s hand. “I know why”

Phil’s eyebrows raised as he was tugged across the concourse and over to baggage claim. “You gonna clarify for me babe?”

Clint shook his head, grinning. “Nope”

Phil’s eyes narrowed as Clint turned away innocently to search for their luggage. “I could seduce it out of you”

Clint chuckled, not even bothering to look back at Phil, “Sure you could babe”

Phil’s eyes narrowed even further as a plan began to form in his head.

_You’re going to regret that sarcasm soon babe._

 

~

Clint screeched at the top of his lungs, “God _damn_ it, Phil! Get your cock inside me before I explode!”

Phil, content to rub Clint’s prostate with his fingers and periodically mouth at Clint’s cock-head, simply hummed. “Oh I don’t think so, not with you keeping secrets and all”

Clint gasped and glared at Phil, “You no good, dirty rotten, scoundrel!”

Phil winked, “You caught me. How about you tell me that little secret of yours and my cock can mosey its way along to your asshole”

Clint shook his head, “You can torture me and kill me, but I will never sub _mit, holy Mary mother of God do that again_ ”

Phil flicked his tongue against Clint’s balls, “Do what again babe?”

Clint groaned, “You aren’t playing fair!”

Phil smirked and pressed harder against Clint’s prostate, “All’s fair in love and war. Now, tell me the secret!”

“Never!”

Phil shrugged, “Your funeral,” and went back to mouthing at Clint’s cock, never really committing to anything substantial to get his husband off.

Clint screeched again, “Fine! Fine! You win! I’ll tell you if you just _get inside me!_ ”

Phil grinned in triumph and pulled his fingers out of Clint.

 

~

Clint lay sated on Phil’s chest, dozing as Phil stroked along his back very slowly.

“So…” Phil whispered.

“Hmmm” Clint looked up at Phil sleepily.

“I was promise a secret?”

Clint yawned, “Oh yeah. Tony is buying us a house”

Clint then fell asleep while Phil stared at him, stunned.

“A house?!”

 

*****

Tony huffed at a whimpering Lucky, “They’re gonna be back tomorrow you whiney brute!”

Lucky didn’t care though, he just stared out the window and whimpered again.

Tony rolled his eyes, “You are a big blubbernut and I have no clue why we’ve kept you this long”

Lucky, pitiful dog that he was, turned to look at Tony with sad puppy dog eyes (or well, eye). “Don’t look at me like that Pizza Dog, I’m immune to your charms!”

The dog whimpered again and slowly laid his head down onto his paws. He looked up at Tony with his one eye and shaggy, dirty hair (that nobody washed because the damn dog would only hold still for Phil, of all people, and like _hell_ they were trying to wash the mutt when the agent wasn’t around), and just gave an overall ‘poor me’ expression.

“No, you stop that Lucky, I will not be taken in by you again. You’ve already eaten three slices of my pizza today with that look! I won’t work again, I tell you it won’t work!”

“… Are you arguing with Clint’s dog again Tony?”

Tony turned to look at Steve, “I can’t help it when he looks at me like that” Tony pointed to the pitiful expression on Lucky’s face, “He’s a menace!”

Steve rolled his eyes, “He’s an old man Tony. Jesus, he’s been in this family for 7 years, who knows how old he was before that, he’s entitled to some whining and begging”

“Not when he eats all my damn pizza, he is!”

Steve rolled his eyes, “You need some sleep Tony. Clint and Phil will be home tomorrow, you’ll be showing them their brand new house, and then they will live with Lucky in their new home and have a happy ever after.”

Tony growled under his breath, cursing Steve, Phil, Clint, and Lucky. “Not if I don’t kill the damn dog first”

 

*****

“You know, blinding two S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents was not the best way to go Stark… Just saying”

“Shhhh Son in law, shhh… We’re almost to the surprise!”

Clint sighed under his blindfold, “Dad. I already know about the surprise, and I _told_ you, Phil already knows about the surprise, it isn’t a surprise anymore!”

Tony tsked, “You may know I bought you a house, but do either of you know what it looks like? No? I thought so! A surprise is in store!”

Clint huffed and leaned his body until his head fell against Phil’s shoulder, “Not even a day back from our honeymoon and we’ve already been kidnapped. What a life, huh?”

Clint couldn’t see Phil smile, but he knew the older man did. “Well, you’ll just have to get used to it Clint. You _did_ marry a very important man after all”

Clint gasped, “I didn’t know you were actually the president! Why didn’t you _tell_ me Phillip?”

“Oh shove it up your ass Clint” Phil teased.

Clint grinned and nosed his way up Phil’s neck to eventually plant a kiss on his lips.

“Ah, ah, ah, enough of that you two! No kissing shall be in my car while I am in”

Clint turned his head away from Phil, “You used to kiss Pop in the car all the time dad”

“That, my dear boy, is different”

“… Hey dad, did you ever know that Phil and I had se-”

“HSNEWKJWJSWLLEJ I’M NOT LISTENING TO YOU CLINTON”

Clint chuckled and pressed another quick kiss to Phil’s lips, “Works every time”

 

*****

“Okay, you can take off your blindfolds”

Phil rolled his eyes and pulled off the cloth that way tied around his eyes. He blinked as the sunlight made his pupils dilate, but couldn’t help but take in every detail of the house in front of him.

It was huge, to say the least. Three floors including an attic (most four floors including both attic and basement), a wide front yard (and eventual huge backyard), and it was in a nice shade a blue that didn’t seem standoffish. Phil blinked at the gate running along the outside of the yard and the pebbled walkway leading to the sidewalk in front of the house.

“Jesus dad, this is gorgeous… Did you and Pop buy this place, or did you build it yourselves?”

Tony smiled and nodded his head to get them inside, “Steve and I built it. We searched for quite a bit, but none of the other homes or mansions seemed like a good fit for you two… So we just bought some land and created the house on top. It’s fully furnished, everything from your apartment is now sitting inside this house, and if you don’t like the arrangement, just call the moving company and they can switch everything around if you want”

Clint and Phil both nodded slowly and walked around the house to get used to the place.

They both ended up in the backyard where the rest of the clan was waiting for them with a huge barbeque and their missed wedding cake sitting on a table in all its glory.

It was a fun and fanciful feast, with lots of presents (that Phil and Clint weren’t expecting), lots of food, and delicious cake that ended up in a food fight (that Phil and Clint _may_ have started).

It lasted until midnight when, exhausted, the jet lag completely caught up to Phil and Clint, and the poor things were asleep on the porch swing (an addition that Tony _knew_ would be loved by Phil and Clint, even if Steve had had his reservations at first). The rest of the party threw an afghan over the sleeping couple and left the house, keeping the backdoor unlocked, but the front door bolted (the rest of team _may_ all have keys for… you know… just in case).

The two men slept the entire night out there on the porch, and woke up the next morning and went into their brand new, state of the art kitchen, and made themselves breakfast. Which eventually ended up as them christening the kitchen table and their breakfast christening the tile floor instead of their stomachs.

The two men couldn’t complain of course, who would complain about how fantastic the sex was? Nobody. Nobody would complain about how good sex is. So they didn’t.

 

*****

“Phil I don’t want to”

“You have to”

“But do I really?”

“You have a contract”

“But I’m an Avenger”

“Stop whining, if I have to go to work tomorrow morning, so do you”

“… Can’t we just have morning sex instead?”

“If you wake up early enough we can”

“… Ughhhhhh”

“Brat”

“Jerk”

“Child”

“Ass”

“Goddamnit Phil, _kiss me_ ”

“ _It would be my genuine pleasure”_

 

*****

Clint looked up from the book he was reading, “Hey Phil”

Phil, glasses hanging precariously off his nose (and didn’t _that_ turn Clint on), “Yes?”

“Why does Fury call you Cheese?”

Phil blinked, “Huh?”

Clint rolled his eyes, “You call Fury, Marcus; he calls you Cheese”

Phil wrinkled his nose before pushing his glasses back up, “It’s kind of a weird story”

Clint raised an eyebrow, “Ex-carnie that was raised by two gay super-heroes. What could be weirder?”

Phil sighed and put down the pen he was holding. “Well… I call Nick Marcus because that’s his real name… and no, don’t ask me about that, because _that_ is actually classified. Nick calls me Cheese because well…” Phil blushed.

Clint, amused at the display, but his book aside and walked over to his husband. Sitting in Phil’s lap, Clint cupped the man’s cheek, “Go on”

Phil nuzzled Clint’s hand, “He calls me Cheese because…. When I first started…. I kind of…. Got real…. Gassy… When I got nervous… Which was quite a bit when I first met Nick before I started the academy”

Clint blinked, and then blinked again. “Are you saying Nick Fury calls you Cheese because you used to fart a lot?”

Phil blushed and looked down at his lap, avoiding Clint’s gaze, not wanting to hear the man laugh at his embarrassment.

Clint however, just titled the man’s head up. “That is the most adorable thing I have ever heard Phil Coulson.”

Phil took his turn blinking, “Really?”

Clint smiled and nodded, “Badass Coulson used to get nervous? Who would believe but your adoring husband who thinks everything you do is adorable”

Phil rolled his eyes, speaking before actually thinking about his words. “Suck up”

Clint, being… well… Clint, immediately got down on his knees and undid Phil’s buckle, “Suck you up”

Phil just groaned and went along with it.

 

*****

It had been two months since Clint and Phil had gotten married, and the two men had finally sat down and began the discuss the topic of children.

“I think we’re ready Phil, I really do”

“Clint. Kids are a big responsibility, what if we don’t have time to love them the way we should?”

Clint just smiled and ran his fingers through Phil’s hair, “Steve and Tony raised me. I think we can raise our own kids just fine”

Phil had sighed and looked at Clint, “Can we wait until we’ve at least been married a year before we start the adoption process?”

Clint nodded, “I can gladly accept that compromise”

Phil had grinned and kissed Clint.

Of course, when had things ever worked out the way they wanted it to?

At two months of marriage, Phil and Clint had just gotten home from an Avengers Press Event, when there was a knock on the door.

Phil, shooing Clint off to go start dinner, opened the door to a CPS officer, and a little boy.

“Uh… Can I help you?”

The CPS officer smiled, “May we come inside?”

Phil, not sure what exactly was happening, nodded and let the officer and the boy inside. “Is there anything we can get you two?”

The officer shook his head before looking down at the boy, “Is there anything you want?”

The little boy also shook his head and looked around the house.

“Right… If there is nothing I can get you two… May I ask why you’re here?”

The officer nodded, “Are you Mr. Clint Francis Barton Rogers Stark Coulson?”

_Jesus that really was a mouthful._ “Uh… No. That’s my husband, I’m Phillip Coulson”

The officer nodded, “May I speak with your husband then, Mr. Coulson”

Phil, confused beyond all belief, went into the kitchen. “Clint… There’s an officer here to see you”

Clint turned around, “What?”

Phil shrugged, “Yeah. That was my reaction too… He has a little boy with him. Who knows what will happen while we talk to the officer”

Clint frowned and walked with Clint into the living room where the officer and the little boy were sitting on the couch.

“Hello, I’m Clint Coulson… You wanted to speak with me?”

The officer nodded, “Hello Mr. Coulson. My name is Eric Rander, and I’m with Child Protective Services. This here, is Francis” The officer nodded to the little boy.

Clint, confused, just smiled at the little boy, “Nice to meet you Francis, Mr. Rander. Is there a particular reason you wished to speak to me”

The officer nodded, “About 6 years ago you were in a relationship with a Ms. Barbara Morse, am I correct”

Clint froze, then nodded. “That I was… Yes… Why?”

The officer smiled a bit sadly. “Well, I’m afraid to say that Ms. Morse just passed away in a car accident, and you were listed as both father and guardian on Francis’s paperwork, we had to bring him here.”

Both Phil and Clint just stared at the officer in shock.

 

*****

Francis was asleep in the guest room later that night, the entire team crammed into the living room after Clint and Phil had called them in a panic.

“I don’t know if I can do this guys” Clint whispered to the group.

Tony smiled and clapped Clint on the shoulder, “That’s what they all said when I wanted to adopt you… And it worked out great in the end, didn’t it?”

Phil (surprisingly calm and accepting after having been the one debating for waiting to adopt a child) hugged Clint to his chest, “Clint. Francis has literally only been here for 6 hours, and he already worships the ground that you walk on. It may be a hard decision in the long run, but I think it would be best if he stayed with us. If he became our son, like you became Tony and Steve’s. Otherwise he would be shuttled into the foster care system”

Clint sighed and scrubbed at his face, “He’s so small Phil. So trusting and full of life, what if I fuck that up? How will I know if I do fuck it up or not?”

Steve, all-American father that he is, just shrugs. “You don’t”

Pepper nodded, “its true Clint. You don’t know, but you would try your best to make sure it doesn’t, wouldn’t you?”

Clint nodded, “Of course I would. Jesus, I love that kid already”

Phil smiled and kissed Clint’s temple, “Then let’s make him our boy Clint. You were the one that didn’t want to wait, why freak out now when he’s actually your boy?”

Clint sighed, “Probably because I just found out I’m a father after 5 years, and that the mother of that child is dead”

Phil stroked Clint’s hair, “I truly am sorry about Bobbi”

Clint nodded, “We haven’t spoken since we broke up, I just feel terrible for Francis…. And somewhat for Bobbi’s parents, even if they _did_ kick her out because she was pregnant…. I kinda wish Bobbi had come to me after that. I may not have loved her, but I would have taken care of her. Made sure she and Francis would be okay”

Phil nodded, and smiled. “That’s because you’re sweet and kind. And even though Bobbi may be dead, Francis isn’t going to be alone. At least he has us now. And our families”

Clint smiled and nodded, “Yeah. He does”


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agent: 35  
> Life Event: Anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a teaser left to go! Sorry this chapter is so much shorter than all the others, but there IS only so much information I can put in a epilogue before it gets to strung out.

“Dad, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Francis whined as he watched Phil tie his tie.

Phil looked over at his son, “Does it look like I’m kidding?”

Francis sighed, “ _No_ ”

Phil nodded, “Good. Because I wasn’t”

Francis huffed and followed Phil as the man walked out of the bedroom he shared with Clint, “But come on dad! It isn’t fair!”

Phil sighed, “Francis. It’s just for one night. It’s you father and I’s anniversary, and we just want to spend some quality time together. Surely you watching your siblings for one night won’t be that big of a deal?”

Francis wrinkled his nose (so much like Clint that some days it makes Phil’s heart ache), “I guess it wouldn’t. I still don’t think it’s fair though”

Phil smiled and ruffled Francis’s hair, “No older sibling does. But when you become a parent, trust me, you’ll understand the need for some alone time”

“Ew. Dad. Gross. No”

Phil chuckled, “Maybe if you’re lucky, you’re Grandfathers will come over and help you babysit”

Francis’s eyes went wide, “I thought you said that they couldn’t come over because Granddad almost blew up the house the last time we were left alone”

Phil chuckled, “Technically that was when you were eight. I’m sure now that you’re 15, if you _do_ blow up the house, by the time we get home everything will be okay again. That is, of course, if you make sure your sister and brother are okay”

Francis sighed, “Okay, okay. I got it dad. I’ll watch over them”

Phil smiled, “Knew you would. Now, I’ve gotta go. Your dad is meeting me at the restaurant in 15 minutes, and I’m already behind schedule.”

Francis rolled his eyes, “Go then. Go have fun you wacky kids”

Phil chuckled and jogged into the living room. “Peter? Wanda?”

Two little heads pop up from the couch and squeal, “Papa! Papa!”

Phil grinned as he scooped up the twins and pressed kisses all over their faces, “Papa will miss you tonight, and so will Da! But Francis is going to have so much fun with you tonight, but only if you behave. Will you two behave?”

Two grinning faces nod enthusiastically and give Phil one more huge hug before running over to tackle Francis’s legs.

Phil smiled, “Okay. I _really_ have to go this time, and remember Francis, if their powers start to act up”

Francis rolled his eyes, “I have the number of the hotel and the restaurant. Go. Go have fun. Jesus, you worry wart”

Phil smiled and waved goodbye as he left his three kids to their own devices.

_God, it’s been so long since Clint and I have had a date._

 

~

Phil made it to the Italian restaurant that he and Clint had agreed upon with 30 seconds to spare, but upon first look, couldn’t find his wayward husband anywhere in the room.

Sighing, Phil pulled out his phone and shot Clint a text.

_Where are you?_

A pair of arms slipped around his waist as his neck was nuzzled, “Right here babe”

Smiling, Phil turned around in Clint’s arms and faced his husband, “Hello there Mr. Coulson”

Clint grinned and kissed Phil quickly before pulling away, “You were almost late for our date Mr. Coulson”

“Almost _is_ the operative word”

Clint chuckled, “I already have our table waiting, come on – you know I’m hopeless with the wine selection”

Phil smiled, “You’re hopeless with all alcohol”

“That is also true”

Phil grinned and followed Clint into the restaurant and over to their table.

 

*****

Tony rang the doorbell again.

“Alright! Hold your horses, I’m coming!”

Francis, the spitting image of Clint, opened the door and smiled up at Tony. “Gramps! Dad said you might come over, but I didn’t believe him!”

Tony chuckled and ran his fingers through Francis’s hair, “Would I miss a chance to spend time with my grandkids? Hell no! But your parents shouldn’t worry, I brought Mr. Responsibility with me” Tony thumbed behind him as Steve walked up the driveway.

“Hey! I can be reckless too Tony, I just tend to not set fires in the kitchen like you do!”

Tony smirked and wrapped his arm around Francis’s shoulder as they went inside the house, “See what I mean buddy? Mr. Responsibility!”

Francis smiled and rolled his eyes and his grandfathers’ antics

Tony, grinning, broke away from Francis to allow Steve to spend quality time with him, and snuck into the living room to surprise his adorable twin grandbabies.

The two twins, mutants that the Avengers had found in the middle of a Russian winter with no parents, had been taken in by Clint and Phil after Wanda and Peter had clung strongly to the archer’s neck as he was trying to hand them over to the Russian equivalent of CPS. That had been two years ago, and the now 5 year old twins were happy and healthy as can be… Well… Except for those moments when they use their powers and get a little freaked out about it, but that’s beside the point.

Wanda and Peter were coloring at the coffee table as Tony snuck up behind them and sat down on the couch, waiting to see how long it took until they noticed he was here.

It didn’t take very long, and after three minutes, Wanda turned around to call out for Francis, spotted Tony, and screeched happily at the top of her lungs. “Pop pop!”

The screech caused Peter to turn around, and then Tony had a lapful of squirming, happy twin toddlers.

It was pure heaven.

 

*****

Clint was pressed up against the side of the building outside of the restaurant they had just left.

“God,” Clint panted. “And here I was thinking that we were too old for this”

Phil pulled his mouth off of Clint’s cock and looked up at him, “Is that a complaint?”

Clint growled, “Hell no.”

Phil grinned and got back to it.

 

~

Clint smiled and pressed his head on to Phil’s shoulder, “Thank you for taking me here, and for dinner, and for the alleyway sex”

Phil rolled his eyes, “You’re so very welcome”

Clint chuckled and dragged Phil over to the small grave in the corner of the cemetery, one hand holding Phil’s, the other hold a bouquet of flowers.

The two men stopped in front of the grave and stared down at the words written on the tombstone.

Here lies Lucky

The best friend a boy and man could ever have, and a lover of pizza.

RIP

“The priest thought you were nuts when you paid for a funeral and a plot in the cemetery” Phil whispered as Clint laid down the flowers.

Clint chuckled and stroked his fingers over the tombstone, “I may be nuts, but I stand by what I did. Lucky was my best friend, protector, go to advice guy…. He was my family Phil. He deserved this grave just as much as you or I will someday”

Phil smiled and pulled Clint into his chest, “I know sweetheart. But he’s in Doggy Pizza Heaven now, and I think it’s time you finally let him go”

Clint wrinkled his nose and took Phil’s hand as he walked him out of the cemetery, “I know you’re right Phil… I just… Haven’t found the dog for me yet. I haven’t found a dog that I wouldn’t consider a replacement for Lucky, but at the same time _is_ a replacement for my beloved pooch…. You know what I mean?”

Phil nodded, “I know exactly what you mean…. Which is why I have a surprise for you at our hotel”

Clint raised an eyebrow, “A surprise?”

Phil nodded.

Clint looked at him for a moment and then sighed, “Since you aren’t going to tell me. Lead on”

*****

Phil kept his hand tight over Clint’s eyes as he led the archer into their hotel suite.

“Phil… When can I open my eyes?”

“Not yet. Just stay still”

“Ugh. Fine”

Grinning, Phil moved away from Clint and walked over to the person that Phil had paid to watch over the gift that he had bought Clint for their anniversary. Paying the man, Phil took the gift out of their hands and waited for him to leave.

When they had closed the door behind them, Phil walked forward.

“Phil? Did the door just open and close? Was someone in here?”

Phil hummed, “Hold out your hands Clint”

Clint sighed and did as Phil asked. Phil grinned and placed the squirming gift in Clint’s hands and waited for his husband’s reaction.

“Phil, what the hell is in my hands?”

A cute little golden retriever puppy was trying his damndest to get out of Clint’s hands and made a cute little whining noise in its throat. Phil chuckled as Clint’s eyes shot open and down at the puppy in his hands.

“… Oh my god Phil”

“Like him? He’s only about two months old”

Clint, with an awed look, brought the puppy up to his face. “Oh my god”

The puppy looked at Clint and then proceeded to lick his face.

Clint laughed and looked over at Phil, “Oh my god Phil!”

Phil smiled and walked over to his husband, wrapping an arm around the younger man’s waist and reaching up to stroke the puppy’s fur, “I’m gonna go with yes, you like him”

Clint nodded, bringing the puppy close to his chest, “God yes. I love him Phil. Thank you”

Phil smiled and kissed Clint sweetly, “Thank me by giving this little guy a proper name”

Clint looked down at the dog and smiled, petting the dog’s ears. “I may not be replacing Lucky, but I will name you in honor of him. His original name was Arrow, and I think that’s just perfect for you… What do you say?”

The dog gave a soft yip before yawning and cuddling close to Clint’s chest.

Phil grinned, “I think he likes the name”

“Good, so do I…. Thank you Phil, seriously”

Phil hummed and pressed a kiss to Clint’s cheek, “I just wanted to make you happy”

“You did. You do. You always will” Clint whispered as he walked over to lay the sleeping pup down on the couch in the corner of the room.

Phil smiled and waited for Clint to come back to him, accepting his husband into his arms gladly. “I feel the same way about you”

Clint grinned, his head coming to rest on Phil’s shoulder. “Happy anniversary Phil”

“Happy Anniversary Clint”

The two men kissed, and lived happily ever after. So did Tony and Steve, Bruce and Betty, Natasha and Bucky, Thor and Jane, and everyone else in this little tale. They all, despite their professions, lived happy and full lives, all getting retire at old age and living happily in bliss with their families. It wasn’t a peaceful life for any of them, not that they actually wanted a peaceful life, but it sure was a fun one for everyone.


	15. Teaser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading "For The Heart Whose Woes Are Legion," I hope you enjoyed it! Now, here is the teaser for my next fan fic!  
> The story is a Harlequin Romance AU, based off of the Jacobsville (Long, Tall Texans) series by Diana Palmer. The name of the piece will be called "Dead Shot"  
> Here is a teaser of the first chapter!

Clint looked around the farm that he had just bought and took a deep breath. _This is gonna be good for me, this is just what I need._

It had been a year and a half since the Battle of New York, and despite everything that Clint had gone through to get over… well… Everything he had gone through, Clint had still felt like his life was one big waste.

Natasha was off somewhere with Steve and their new pal, Sam, looking for Bucky. Tony and Bruce were always busy with their experiments and helping Pepper get over the incident with A.I.M. Thor was in Asgard with Jane talking things over with his dad, and mourning his mother. Then there was S.H.I.E.L.D. and all its personnel that had treated him like crap for almost 2 years for being a ‘traitor,’ when half the damn agency was working for Hydra!

So, essentially, Clint had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown in New York, and it had seemed like a _great_ idea to get the fuck out of there.

Clint had traveled around the East Coast on his bike for a couple of weeks, but eventually he had gotten to Georgia and heard about this little town from some guy named Russell, and thought it would be the best place for Clint to settle down.

The town was called Jacobsville in Jacobs County, Texas. Apparently the population of the town was about 2,000 or so, way less than that of New York (or hell, just of the S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ for that matter), and was mostly a town of farmers and agriculture.

It was a far cry from the hustle and bustle of New York, but after having traveled with the circus, and growing up on a farm in Iowa, Clint thought he was more than ready for the challenge.

Luckily, Clint had a huge amount of money saved up from working at S.H.I.E.L.D. and from his merc days, so setting up the farm and starting up on his ranching wouldn’t be too bad.

Looking around, Clint sighed and walked over to his bike. “Item needed number one, a fucking truck. Item needed number two, supplies. Item needed number three, fucking friends”

Nodding to himself, Clint slipped on his bike and drove into the town to pick up some groceries.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by several of the Tony is daddy to kid!Clint fics which I can't seem to find, but love with all my heart (and you my dear friends should too, they're amazing)
> 
>  
> 
> (( You can prompt me if you wish for other fics, or for any ideas you may have about this fic at [ Hellogoodbye](http://hellogoodbye741.tumblr.com/ask) ))


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